Out of Time
by Reinkakou
Summary: A seemingly minor dispute between Mordecai and Rigby results in their separation. Unfortunately, things are proving to be a lot more difficult for the two to be reunited than anyone could've hoped, and Mordecai can't seem to take a single step forward to fixing things without messing something else up along the way. But the clock's still ticking...
1. Dead End

Disclaimer: Regular Show and all of its characters are the property of J.G. Quintel. I do not own any of the characters from Regular Show used, and am only a fan.

Cover art was created by MyDifferencesSaveMe

Edits to chapters 8-25 are in progress.

* * *

><p>It was a cold, crisp day. The park was filled with the vibrant colors of fallen leaves, all mounding together on the ground to create a collage of Autumn foliage. Although, less could be said from the perspective of a certain blue jay and raccoon.<p>

"Gah! We're never going to finish this!" The small mammal complains.

"Not if you keep whining. Just get back to raking, Rigby." his taller companion retorts.

"It's too cold to! I'm going to freeze to death, just trying to rake up some stupid leaves!"

"Dude, you're the one with fur. Don't even start complaining about it being cold." Mordecai says, slightly aggravated. "We're almost done. Let's just hurry up and finish before Benson gets mad."

"What does he have to get mad about? I don't see him out here doing anything." Rigby says, flailing his arms around in a fit of childish rage.

"I don't see you doing anything either." Mordecai chuckled.

"Whatever, dude! How much longer?" Rigby asks impatiently.

"Well, if you would actually help..." Mordecai says, gesturing in the direction of the few remaining leaves.

Rigby let out a groan, frown remaining plastered on his face. "Fine."

It had been a slow past couple of weeks; the visitors have seemed to be coming less and less. Of course, that just meant there was less work for Mordecai and Rigby to tend to. Benson had still been pushing them just as hard, still constantly threatening to fire the two, yet to no avail.

Though, while the number of assignments for the pair had lowered, the effort that was put into said assignments seemed to do the same, mostly on Rigby's behlalf.

"Finally! We're done!" Rigby exclaimed triumphantly.

"No thanks to you." Mordecai laughed.

"STOP TALKING." Rigby screamed, walking over to his friend.

"Here, give me your rake, I'll take it back to the supply shed while you go back inside, before you die from freezing to death in forty degree weather." The bird said, rolling his eyes.

"Thanks, bro," Rigby says reaching out and placing the rake in Mordecai's grasp. Feathers and fur brush one another, and the raccoon's face can help but heat up. Ah, that's right. Rigby had one of _those _dreams this morning.

"Uh…dude," Mordecai starts. "Are you okay?"

"No!" Rigby spat in surprise. "I must be getting sick from being out here so long; I told you it was cold out here!" the raccoon explained, clearly taken aback from his friend's comment.

Mordecai just looked at him blankly for a while, eventually just taking a deep breath and heading off to the supply shed.

"Then hurry up and get back to the house! I'll meet you inside." Mordecai calls to his friend.

"Jeez, what was that?" Rigby muttered to himself. Tension between the two of them was growing thick, at least on the raccoon's side at least.

Things were getting worse day by day, and the mammal wasn't sure how much longer he could suppress the emotions that bubbled beneath the surface. Rigby wasn't entirely sure how he felt anyways.

Rigby couldn't remember when it first started, but he found the feelings grow stronger seemingly everyday. But hey, Mordecai was a pretty awesome guy with some pretty awesome features. His smile, his laugh, his voice, an endless list of features began to arise in his head. Rigby loved being friends with Mordecai, but recently, it just didn't seem to be enough.

At night, when he lay alone on his trampoline, smothered in the dirty laundry that he calls a blanket, endless dreams of his friend's body against his own. Silken feathers pressed against soft fur, heat resonating from Mordecai; heating him, melting him. While he did have the occasional dreams that lead to a cleanup the morning after, all he mainly wanted was a more intimate relationship with the blue jay, love, not just lust. Not to say he wouldn't take that opportunity if it were to arise...

Though, Rigby's lack of competence wasn't the only thing preventing these plans from happening. Of course, Mordecai had to have already formed an attraction to someone else; a robin by the name of Margaret. Rigby couldn't really bring himself to hating the girl, but the fact that she was so oblivious only pushed Rigby further. She couldn't value how lucky she was.

"Hey, dude." Mordecai greets, walking through the kitchen door.

"Oh, uh… hey." Rigby responded, still slightly lost in his thoughts.

"So I was thinking of heading over to the coffee shop for a hot cup, since it's so cold out…"

"Aw, I don't wanna go to the coffee shop!" the raccoon frowned. Prime example of Mordecai's obvious affection.

Rigby knew that if he went to the coffee shop, it'd be nothing but the bird babbling over Margaret for an hour with Eileen breathing down the back of his neck.

"Well, I never said you had to come," Mordecai said with a slightly confused expression, "I just said I was going to go over myself. So you know- it's up to you to tag along."

"Yeah, but we're like a package deal, you know? So I just figured..." Rigby answered, embarrassed. "Are you even going for coffee, or are you going to see MAR-GA-RET?" Rigby teases, enunciating each syllable.

Now it was Mordecai's turn wear a blush. "Well, uh, I guess... I guess a little of both…"

"Aw come on, dude! Why are you so focused on trying to get Margaret to like you?" Rigby says, aggravated. "We could actually do something fun, like play video games. Does the coffee shop have video games?- I didn't think so!"

"Well, no. But it has Margaret."

"I fail to see the good in that." the raccoon yawned.

"Dude, Margaret's cool!"

"Pff." Rigby scoffed. "She has a new boyfriend almost everyday that we visit! She's a total whore."

"Dude! Not cool! She's not a whore, she just uh... dates a lot of people..." Mordecai trails off. Rigby just sat there with his eyebrow raised, a grin draped across his face. "What does it matter if I want to go see her?" he asks, crimson on the bird's face intensifying.

"I'm just trying to say there are better people out there is all..."

"Pf. Doubt it. I like Margaret more than anyone I know."

Rigby's heart dropped upon hearing that, eyes becoming glassy as pressure built up in his chest. Rigby could understand Mordecai's affection towards Margaret, but it was remarks like the one his friend had just made that ate away at him, especially when he was in a mood like this.

The raccoon was able to handle them every now and then, but he wasn't going to pretend that he hadn't been put through hell at times because of this same reoccurring female.

"DUDE, SHE DOESN'T LIKE YOU. She never will, when will you accept that?" Rigby laughed, "She's dated everyone, practically the entire town! Yet, she's never seemed to be the slightest bit interested in you."

"What the hell, dud-"

"So why don't you give up and move on? Your obsession with her is getting pathetic." Rigby finished, leaving them both quiet. The pit in Rigby's stomach was beginning to grow as regret became more prominent. Why the hell had he just done that?!

Mordecai remained silent, and headed off towards the door.

Rigby faltered. "D-dude, where are you going?"

"To the coffee shop," was the bird's response, opening the door and stepping outside.

"But I already sai-"

"When are you going to learn that my life doesn't revolve around you?" Mordecai cut in. Jeez, he was pissed now.

"I never even-" Rigby began.

"You never even what? Do you have any idea how much it pisses me off that you act like I'm your property? Who the hell cares if I go and talk to Margaret?!" Mordecai yelled. "It's my life and I don't know why you think you're in charge of it all of a sudden."

"How do you think I feel?!" Rigby screamed back, growing defensive. "You put this girl you hardly know above your best friend and you expect me to be okay with that?!"

"You're more of a tumor or a leech than a friend." Mordecai laughed, the raccoon looked at him in utter disbelief and letdown. "And why should I care how _you_ feel about all this when you can't even respect how _I_ feel?"

Rigby didn't answer, just sitting at the kitchen table quietly and waiting for it to be all over. He always messed things up between the two of them, and one of these days he's have to end it the only other way he knew how.

"That's what I thought." Mordecai muttered, slamming the door behind him and leaving Rigby to himself.

The raccoon bit at his lip, balling up his fists to try and hold himself together as tears began streaming down his face. Rigby was far past broken at this point. He was sick of this same damn barrier, sick of Margaret, sick of Mordecai.

Rigby's small framed started to tremble, the raccoon sniveling weakly as he broke down into full-on sobbing. But that was all he was, wasn't it? Weak. He couldn't last on his own without Mordecai. Rigby was exactly as the bird has said; a tumor. A parasite.

The mammal slammed his head down onto the table, muttering under his breath that was beginning to fog up the glossy surface of the wood. The only sound that could be heard throughout the house was the sound of Rigby's breakdown, as well as the 'ticks' and 'tocks' of the clock in the adjacent room.

"I can fix it.", Rigby whimpered with his muffled voice. "I can fix it."


	2. Princess Red

The small chiming of a bell could be heard throughout the restaurant as the door to the coffee shop opened, revealing an upset blue jay. Mordecai walked over to an empty table, took a seat on one of the stools, went into a position of thought. Lacing his fingers together to intertwine both his hands, Mordecai rested his forehead against the support they provided.

_ "___What the hell is his problem___?"_ the bird thought to himself while looking down at the table. He observed the surface, and the nicks and scratches that protruded into the wood, hoping to take his mind off of things.

"_He's such a child_, _hard to believe he's twenty-three_." Mordecai muttered quietly. "_Does he have problem with Margaret_?" the bird threw into consideration. "_I doubt he's jealous of me_. _Honestly_, _he's way better at talking to her than I am_."

Mordecai sat there, in deep concentration, pondering the possible reasons for the argument that had recently occurred, and why it had seemed so phenomenally drastic. Sure, Rigby took jabs at Margaret from time to time when given the opportunities. But today he had gone so over the top with it...

"_He's probably upset that I don't want to do EVERY little thing with him_, _he needs to make some new friends_." Mordecai rationalized. "_I mean_, _sure_, _we're roommates and all_, _but I like to hang out with other people too_." Rigby seemed unmovable on the subject of Eileen, and he hardly ever bothered socializing with the other park workers.

Mordecai looked up at the TV on the wall, watching the weather forecaster's muted lips move.

_ "___Maybe another camping trip could help build a stronger relationship with Eileen___?"_ the bird thought, putting attention back down at the table. _"___After all___, i___f he had a girlfriend___, ___he wouldn't need to spend as much time with me___. ___It might even help me get closer to Marga___-"_

"Hey, Mordecai." cheerful, yet solemn voice interrupting the blue jay's concentration. Mordecai looked up to the smiling robin in her usual coffee shop attire, notepad at hand.

"Uh, hey Margaret." Mordecai answered, a blush beginning to creep across his face.

"No Rigby today?" She asked, looking slightly confused at the open seat next to Mordecai.

"No, not today," the avian responded, a mixture of sadness and anger present in his voice.

"Why? Did you guys get into a fight or something?" Margaret asked hesitantly, clearly not wanting to be intrusive.

"Uh, no," Mordecai said, trying to console her worry. "He just didn't want to come today." He continued; an awkward smile formed on his beak.

"Oh, sorry; I had always thought that you two were sort of like a package deal." The robin explained, causing Mordecai to choke at the strong irony in her words.

_ "Jeez, d___oes it seem like that to everyone___?"_ Mordecai thought to himself.

"So, what can I get you?" Margaret asked, fishing for a pen through her apron pocket.

"Oh, uh, I guess I'll just have the usual..."

"Okay! I'll have that out as soon as I can." the robin assured, scribbling on her notepad while making way back to behind the counter.

"Wait!" Mordecai exclaimed almost unwillingly.

Margaret turned back towards the blue jay with a puzzled look. "Uh- do you need something else?"

_ "___What should I say___?" _Mordecai's mind racing for something; anything, to say. Then, the voice of the small raccoon began to echo through his head, "_DUDE_, _SHE DOESN'T LIKE YOU_. _She never will_, _when will you accept that?_!" The snide comment stirred up anger in the bird, and perhaps it was because of this seemingly blind fury that Mordecai found the determination to continue.

"I was wondering if you wanted to do something with me- possibly this weekend." the bird answered, immediately becoming embarrassed by his proposition. "Maybe Rigby and Eileen could tag along too, if you want…" Mordecai added. The thought of him and Margaret alone together seemed like too much for him to handle at the time being.

"Oh, uh, sure. What did you have in mind?" She answered cheerfully, leaving Mordecai in a slight state of shock at how positive her response was.

"Maybe we could go camping again? The weather looks nice."

"Sorry, Mordecai, but I'm sure you'll understand me when I say that I don't really want to take my chances again," she giggled. Margaret had acted humorously, yet, it was painfully clear of how dead-serious she was.

Mordecai honestly didn't blame her though, seeing as how Stag-Man had been out on a bloodthirsty hunt for them the last time.

The blue jay frowned. "Oh, okay."

"But, hey! Maybe we could go to that new amusement park!" Margaret offered.

"Huh? New... amusement park?"

"Yeah! My boyfriend works there. It's actually really popular; I'm surprised by you haven't heard of it..."

Mordecai was caught a little off-guard by the 'boyfriend' comment, but wasn't surprised at all.

The bird faked a smile. "Uh, sure. Sounds like fun." Mordecai assured.

"Great! Be sure to bring Rigby, you two don't seem as happy when you're apart." Margaret laughed, giving the male a wink. "Plus, I'm sure Eileen will thank me for it."

It's not like she was giving away her friend's crush by saying that, seeing how painfully obvious it was to everyone that she liked Rigby.

Mordecai could only hope that maybe the raccoon would be welcoming to Eileen if they spent more more time together. He might not be so approving of it at first, but come on, it's an amusement park. There's no way Rigby could pass that up.

"Okay, so it's a plan! I'll go get your coffee," Margaret said, walking off.

Mordecai sighed from relief at how much better than expected things had gone. Margaret may not be single, but it's enough to spend even the slightest bit of time with her.

The only thing that was concerning him was getting Rigby to come along with him. It shouldn't be too hard with a little bit of begging. He'd just have to apologize to him for earlier.

Thinking back to the argument, Mordecai slouched down a bit. The avian sure had said some awful things to his friend.

Mordecai was sure that Rigby would forgive him though, he always did. The blue jay would often get caught up in his own anger, and the raccoon knew that better than anyone.

The troubling factor of Margaret's boyfriend came to mind. She'd said that he worked at said amusement park that they planned on going to, so no doubt Mordecai would end up having to meet him.

_ "Wonder what this one looks like," Mordecai chuckled_. He loved Margaret, more than anyone. The bird would do anything for her, no matter what the result may be. However, he couldn't deny that she honestly made some bad choices when it came to dating.

Margaret never seemed to date a guy that was even the slightest bit good for her, but Mordecai forgave her, and loved her anyways. The blue jay loved the robin for what she is, so changing her was unethical. Mordecai would always love Margaret, no matter what she did.

"Here's your coffee, Mordecai!" Margaret said, once again interrupting his train of thought.

Mordecai took the cup from her hand. "Thanks." he said politely.

"So, about tomorrow, I thought we should go around noon?" the robin suggested.

"Oh, sure, whatever works for you."

"Great! I can't wait to see you and Rigby tomorrow!" the robin exclaimed, happily walking off to another customer's table.

"Yeah..." Mordecai said, looking down into his cup of coffee with a bored expression. "Rigby." Mordecai muttered, tracing the rim of his mug with a finger.

_ Mordecai took a sip of his coffee, the drink a lot more bitter than he remembered. _He had gotten what he had come for, but looking at the unoccupied stool next to him, realized that he was still missing something.

More accurately; _someone._


	3. Silence

Departing from the warm hospitality of the coffee shop, Mordecai was immediately engulfed by the chilling breeze that blew outside. A gust of the numbing wind shoved against the avian, causing a series of shivers to course through his body.

"_Now I know what Rigby was talking about_..." Mordecai chuckled to himself.

The bird crossed his arms; somewhat hugging himself in an attempt to conserve his body heat.

Sun setting behind the autumn trees in the faraway distance created an array of somber colors and bittersweet euphoria. Mordecai couldn't help but stand in awe at nature's sudden majesty, observing the scene, as well as himself. Life was good and short, and there was no need to spend any of it fighting with his best friend.

It was a moment where you look back and realize your own faults rather than those of others, and guilt consumes you.

_"__How should I apologize__...?"_ Mordecai thought to himself, rubbing at the back of his neck. They both said some pretty terrible things in the heat of the moment, but the bird would try and be the bigger man and patch things up. He wouldn't be able to stay mad at Rigby anyhow, so it would be stupid to try.

_"__Maybe I should get him something__,"_ the blue jay jested. _"__I guess I could get him that new game he wont shut up about.__"_ he decided, crossing the street towards the shop with a neon 'GAME' sign in the window.

There were dozens and dozens of shops around town, yet it was as if Mordecai truly only knew about the game store and the coffee shop. He lived in such a big and vast city, but he seemed to lock himself off to those two only places. Perhaps he and Rigby should do some exploring through the city sometime... The fact that an amusement park, of all things, had been constructed at some time and he'd never even heard a word about it should be proof that the park was its own little bubble that ignored the outside world and its rules. Quite literally at times.

Opening the door, he was once again greeted by the cheery sound of a bell, drawing the attention of the store manager to him.

"Oh hey! It's you!" The employee greeted in a bright manner.

Mordecai looked over the male with a puzzled look, observing the brunette's khaki pants and pine-green shirt. "Realm of Darthon" came to mind; a terrible roleplaying game that Rigby and he had purchased from the store a couple months back. It all resulted in a supernatural showdown, _as usual_, as well as Mordecai impaling the male with a wooden ruler.

"Uh, hey." Mordecai replied uncomfortably with a wave. It's hard to think of what to say to a man you nearly killed.

"I haven't seen you since that _incident_ that we had." he continued, creepily.

"Er- yeah. You're alright- right?" Mordecai asked.

"Oh, yeah. I'm sure it's hard to believe, but that wound wasn't even near as fatal as one would think," the manager stated with a laugh. "You should have seen the look on the doctors face!"

"Well, good thing you didn't die and all..."

"Ha, thanks? But hey, where's your friend?"

"Oh, uh, he's not _with_ me, but in a way I'm here _for_ him." Mordecai explained, "There's this new game that he's been talking about lately, I figured I'd get it for him while I out."

"Hm, what game?"

The avian remained silent for a while, trying to think back to all the times Rigby had spouted non-stop crap about the thing. Something about how great the graphics were even though their gaming system was about as 8-bit as it gets. Hell, Pong may as well have better graphics than their Dig-Champs game.

"As many times as he's probably said it, I can't remember..." Mordecai sighed, "Something with an apocalyptic theme I think- with good graphics apparently."

"I think I know what you're talking about. 'Out of Time' ring a bell?" the man asked, Mordecai's face lighting up and coming to a nod.

Looking through the games whilst running his fingers along the cases in search for the title, the man eventually came to a halt, pulling out the game with a sly grin. "Found it." he stated, showing the case to Mordecai for approval.

The blue jay nodded in agreement once more. "Yeah, that 's the one. At least, I hope." the bird answered, flipping the game over and reading the back while the manager walked back behind the counter and to the register.

"Okay, it'll be $49.99." The man said, entering information into the computer.

Mordecai nearly choked at the price. _"Do I even have that much?"_ the bird thought to himself. He could barely afford to buy his own lunch off the salary that Benson paid him. Not that he ever expected to be rolling in dough when applying to work at a public park as a low-class employee, but...

Ironically, at least 70% of his income was probably spent at the coffee shop as a front to see Margaret. Not that he really minded all that much. The coffee shop was a small business, and he saw no reason to choose not to support his friend's jobs in any way he could.

With much doubt, Mordecai eventually came to the positive decision on buying the game, despite it requiring about every spending dollar he had on him. He and Rigby played video games together though, so it a way, he was getting both of them a gift.

"Make sure to keep track of that game; you don't want to end up losing it!" The man chuckled as Mordecai left the store with nothing but a dinging bell behind him.

The blue jay laughed to himself. "_There's no way in hell I'm losing this after paying that much for it_."

It was getting dark now, the sun almost fully set as the stars became visible in the night sky one by one. It was also very quiet, the only sound that could be heard through the silence being the rustling of the plastic bag in Mordecai's hands and well as the patter of the bird's steps on cold concrete.

There were a few people scattered around the town here and there, barely any cars driving through the streets, which seemed odd. Irregular.

Modecai wasn't against it being quiet; it was definitely more pleasant, but its out of the ordinary nature slightly frightened him. Stepping off of the concrete sidewalk and onto the dirt trail through the park's gates, the bird could see light escaping the windows of the house in the distance.

Once again, he began to think about his apology, practicing saying it in his head. What would be the best words to use?

Step by step up the porch's stairs, Mordecai froze in front of the door as if it were all a life-or-death moment. The bird placed his hand on the knob of the front door and stopped. Today had started off as any other day, but then transitioned to severe argument with his friend, and even him working up the nerve to ask out Margaret... somewhat. There had been a little good and bad in this day in short.

"_Hopefully it can just keep getting better_..." Mordecai thought, walking into the house and becoming engulfed in the warm air. The door closed behind him and his eyes began adjusting to the florescent lighting.

"Hey, Rigby!" The blue jay called immediately upon entering the house, "Come here for a second, bro!" Mordecai added, heading towards the kitchen. It'd been a long day, and the bird had been kicking himself about not ordering anything to eat at the coffee shop.

"_Wonder if Pops kept leftovers..."_ Mordecai thought hopefully, scavenging through the fridge.

"Hey Rigb-" Mordecai began once again, stopping himself at the sound of metallic footsteps clicking against the kitchen's wooden floor.

"What are you yelling about?" Benson groaned, walking up next to Mordecai and taking a bottled water from the fridge.

The blue jay gave Benson a puzzled expression. "Why are you here so late? Shouldn't you be at your apartment already?"

"I'm the one who asked the question first," the gumball machine retorted snidely, "And while it's not really any of your business, I got called here."

"What about?" The bird questioned, now slightly interested.

"Skips has been working on something and he needed me to come and help out for a while." Benson sighed, "I kinda wish he'd made the decision to tell me before I drove all the way home though..." the metal man stopped for a moment, taking a swig of his water, "But Rigby ended up calling in about needing something too, so I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone."

"Of all metaphors to use..." Mordecai muttered incoherently, "Speaking of Rigby, where is he? Helping Skips too?"

"Are you joking..?" Benson frowned.

"What do you mean?" Mordecai asked, "Is he still upstairs? He might be mad... we had a bit of a fight earlier."

"Thanks for finally answering my question." Benson mumbled.

"Huh?"

"Mordecai," Benson began, taking a deep breath, "Rigby quit earlier today."

The two figures just stood there, looking at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Not a single sound could be heard throughout the entire house. Not a single sound.


	4. Cruel Moon

"You're kidding-... right?" Mordecai laughed at Benson's transparent face. The gumball machine was never really one to joke around, and his humorless expression right now only further proved his seriousness. The bird's stomach sunk, the pit in his now dry and raspy throat growing more and more painful. Mordecai was had nowhere near the appetite he'd had only seconds before. "Rigby... quit?" he repeated.

Benson stood in silence, Mordecai dropping the bag from his hand and hurrying out of the kitchen to run upstairs to his room. _Their_ room. Yet another closed door acted as a barrier between him and the truth, the male swallowing hard as his hand was placed on the knob.

Throwing the door open and with a flip of a switch, everything was revealed. The room didn't bare that great of a difference than how he had left it that morning; still a mess. However, Mordecai could definitely tell that there were some changes. The most noticeable one being Rigby's trampoline, which had acted as a bed for the small mammal over the past few years, was now gone.

The spot of which it had normally rested with a mound of clothes piled atop it was empty; none of his possessions were sprawled across the floor as usual either. The boarded floor of the room was completely barren of the mess it usually contained.

Mordecai stood there in awe. His arms grew heavy, and dropped to his sides. The bird could only remain frozen with his jaw dropped. Turning around in a circle, searching for anything, anything at all that proved the raccoon's existence here, but nothing.

Mordecai's eyes began to sting, the bird quickly brushing away the tears forming in them with his wing. Knees buckled, and Mordecai soon found himself forced to fall on the floor. The male caught himself, weak arms trembling as he look down at the empty floor beneath him.

"_No_… _he_-… _he couldn't have left_..." Mordecai tried to compromise with himself, "_It was only a small fight_, _we have those all the time_." he spat. Maybe this one was just the final straw that broke the camel's back. How much he wish he could go back on things.

"Okay Rigby, you got me." Mordecai chuckled sadly, looking up and around for his friend to come out from where ever he was hiding. Nothing. The bird remained in that position for a seemingly endless amount of time, consumed by the silence that ran through the house.

Mordecai gave a melancholic smile, letting a tear run down his face and shatter onto the floor. He was only fooling himself. The bird got up and into the hallway, closing the door to its original place; closed, as if Mordecai had never gone in there. As if none of this had happened.

The blue jay stumbled down the stairs, throwing himself onto the couch and doing his best to breath deeply.

"Do you want to explain what happened?" Benson asked, appearing in the doorway.

"Why didn't you tell me he was quitting?! I could've said something; I could've stopped hi-"

"Don't go blaming me all of a sudden," the gumball machine stepped in, casting and angry glare at the avian.

"I'm not!" Mordecai corrected, "-But still!"

"I thought you knew already," Benson explained. "I didn't really think that a topic as important as him quitting wouldn't have already been discussed between the two of you."

"Why would you let him quit?"

"What, am I just supposed to deny him his opportunity and free will to quit? Do you even hear yourself right now?" Benson laughed, "I realize this is probably a lot to take in, but if anything, this is _your own _fault! Don't go attacking me!" He screamed.

Mordecai tried to respond, but nothing came to mind. It was his fault wasn't it? There wasn't any use in denying it, Benson was completely right. For once, surprisingly.

"Sorry," The blue jay muttered quietly, "You're right. I'm just unstable right now."

Benson sighed. "It's fine."

"How long ago did he quit?"

"I'd say about..." Benson started, looking around the room for something, "What the…?"

"What?"

"Very cute, what did you guys do with the clock?" Benson asked irritably. "I swear if this had all been some kind of joke..." the gumball machine started, face growing red.

"I don't know!" Mordecai defended, "Honestly, I don't know! I've been out of the house practically all day." The blue jay explained, causing the machine to let out a groan.

"Well then, I'd have to say it was about maybe an hour, hour-and-a-half ago?"

"Did he say anything about where he planned on going?" Mordecai questioned hopefully.

"No, I would've already told you that if he had. I'm not an idiot." Benson frowned. "Anyways, that's too much time! There's no use in trying to chase him down like an idiot in the middle of the night."

The blue jay was beginning to grow irritable himself. "Do you know anything _else_?"

Come on. The bird had just lost his best friend in the entire world and was now completely alone, and it seemed like Benson couldn't honestly care less about what Mordecai was going through.

"I'm sorry Mordecai. I was at home, and got a call from Rigby. He stated that he needed to talk with me." the gumball machine continued. "Like I said earlier, Skips had also talked to me about needing some help with a project, so I utilized the opportunity to come resolve both of the problems."

"And?"

"LET ME FINISH." Benson screamed, Mordecai shutting up immediately. "I got here and Rigby came to me with all of his crap packed in a suitcase, merely said, 'I'm quitting,' and left without a single word. Once that was taken care of, I went to Skip's garage to help him, came back for a drink at the house, and found you." Benson finished with a deep breath.

"What does Skips need help with?" The bird questioned.

"Go ask him yourself. It's none of your business, just as it's none of mine to tell you," Benson replied harshly. "Plus doesn't it seem a little inappropriate to jump from this topic of Rigby quitting to being nosy about other people's business?" Mordecai only rolled his eyes, Benson's glare persisting once again at him. "Whatever, I'm going back home."

"Bye." Mordecai muttered.

"Don't stay up late." the gumball machine stated, "I realize it might be hard to sleep with all this on your mind, but know that you're still expected to work tomorrow regardless."

"What?! You're not even going to give me time to go out and look for him?"

"Pff." Benson scoffed, "I don't have time for this little game of hide-and-seek you two are playing with each other. Fights happen and relationships end, but that doesn't change the fact that you're still required to work if you want to keep your job." the gumball machine spat. "You can go out and look for him after you finish all your work _CORRECTLY_."

And with that, Benson left with the door closed loudly behind him. What was there to even do now? Nothing but sleep it seemed, no matter how much Mordecai didn't want to give into it.

Mordecai decided to stay downstairs on the couch, turning the television on and tuning its volume down to nearly mute, watching the flashing pictures with the machine's quiet white-noise whispering in his ear.

"Shit." He muttered to himself, rubbing his tired eyes. All he could do at this point was wish. Wish for Rigby to walk back through that door right now and settle things with the bird here and now as opposed to running away. But he knew that wouldn't happen. Not under these circumstances.

It had to happen eventually though, right? After all, where would Rigby even go? There was no way he could manage to get a job elsewhere, at least, not a good one. Lack of a high school diploma tends to have a lot of downfalls, as you'd expect.

If anything, he probably went to live with his brother, Don. Rigby wouldn't be able to make it on his own, which means he'd be forced to turn around and come back, or give into living with his sibling. But Rigby was often very stubborn on the matter of Don, rarely accepting help from his younger sibling, even when he may need it most.

Mordecai had gained Margaret today, but had lost Rigby in the process. And was one day-date with Margaret and her boyfriend even worth it all?

Ah, that's right. How was he even going to explain to the robin that Rigby was no longer with him? There would be no way she'd want to go without the raccoon while the two friends were fighting. Yet, this seemed like one of the only occasional chances he'd get to spend with her. Ugh, what to do...

"I already miss you." Mordecai mumbled to himself with a weak smile. He would do whatever he could from now on to get his friend back, no matter how overly dramatic quitting seemed. That was just the kind of person Rigby was. A cry baby, whiny, melodramatic, but still a good friend.


	5. Future Gazer

Silence and black, nothing but silence and black. Mordecai lay in the middle of it all somehow, floating in an endless and dark expanse of an infinite space. He had been in this place for what had seemed like an eternity, yet also as if he had just arrived.

"Mordecai..." a voice called out to him. Mordecai tried his best efforts to answer back, but his voice fell short, and the blue jay could only remain quiet.

"Mordecai..." it called to him again, but closer. The blue jay found his emotions skewed about the situations. Mordecai didn't know this voice, yet alone what was making it. Fear seemed prominent, but he also couldn't help but be curious in what was happening.

"Mordecai." it stated.

The bird's eyes grew wide. _"Shit."_ he thought to himself. This one was right next to him. The hold over him was somehow dropped, and Mordecai slowly turned to face the voice. It was Rigby, who stood there silently, looking up at his avian friend with a sad smile and tears in his eyes.

"R-Rigby…?" Mordecai fretted in surprise.

"No." The small raccoon stated blankly.

Mordecai gave a puzzled look. The person in front of him sure as hell looked like Rigby- no, wait. There was no doubt that this shorty was Rigby. The voice high-pitched, whiny voice becoming familiar to him all of a sudden for some reason.

The bird reached out towards Rigby, causing the mammal to slowly back away.

"Rigby, where are you?" Mordecai questioned hopefully.

A smile grew on the raccoon's face, and Rigby couldn't help but laugh at his blue jay friend. "Which one?"

"Huh?" Mordecai asked, completely dumbfounded by now. "What do you mean?"

"It's all your fault." Rigby faintly muttered, "It's all your fault that everyone had to die." the raccoon frowned.

"What are you talking about?!" Mordecai yelled, completely past the point of confusion by now.

Rigby grinned at the blue jay, pulling a large, bloody shard of what looked like glass from the opaque darkness. "Your turn." he chuckled, Mordecai finding himself bound once more; unable to move or even struggle to get away from this malicious, fiend-version of his friend.

The blue jay tried to scream, only for his voice to be silence again. Mordecai writhed in agony as his body was pinned to the floor of this dark abyss.

Rigby approached the male, moving towards the bird's right wing and beginning to carve into the bird's flesh with the shard of glass. The pain felt horrendous, Mordecai trying his best to flail in pain. The raccoon had cut 99:99 into Mordecai's arm, the bird practically able to feel the curve in every nine. Rigby violently stabbed the colons into the avian, being sure to twist the shard inside stab of the Mordecai's flesh with pure bliss from Mordecai's tortured expression.

When the job was done, Rigby threw the shard aside, climbing up on top of the other males chest and leaning above him. Mordecai looked up at the raccoon; vision blurred completely by tears. Rigby leaned in closer. "Help me." he whispered coyly.

* * *

><p>Harsh, beaming sunlight was the first thing to greet Mordecai's tired eyes upon awakening. That nightmare had been so awful, and yet a part of him couldn't help but be disappointed upon waking up. At least in his dreams, good or bad, he could be with the raccoon. The only things that the real world held for him at this point were disappointment and regret.<p>

Mordecai found he was still on the couch, which could only lead him to believe that last night's incident with Benson and the whole ordeal Rigby quitting had been no dream, unfortunately.

The blue jay sat up, wiping at his eyes and adjusting to the light.

"Ah! You're awake!" a giddy voice called out. Pops stood in the kitchen's doorway with a giddy look on his face.

"Uh... morning, Pops." Mordecai greeted tiredly.

"Might I suggest some breakfast before taking on your daily labors?" the lolliman offered, the sweet scent of breakfast drafting through the living room. "Everyone else is already here, but I thought it would be best to let you sleep."

"Oh," Mordecai frowned, "Thanks, Pops. I didn't have an alarm."

"Then maybe you should try sleeping in your bedroom, lady." Muscle Man chuckled, walking around Pops and out of the kitchen with High Five Ghost trailing behind.

"It's quite alright with me!" Pops assured while Mordecai shot Muscle Man a glare on his way out, "But I cannot speak on Benson's behalf..." the lolliman explained hesitantly.

"I gotcha, Pops." Mordecai laughed, "And I assume since Muscle Man was just here that there's nothing but scraps left." he teased.

Pops giggled. "Eat up! Today's breakfast is extra scrumptious!"

Mordecai did his best to remain calm and collected, no matter how much he wanted nothing more than to run upstairs and find Rigby in their room. Or even to turn the corner and find the mammal at the kitchen table waiting eagerly for him to join him. The blue jay wouldn't even care if Rigby was still mad at him, hell, that's what he expected. Mordecai just wanted him to be mad at him _here._

Disappointingly, there was only Benson and Skips to be seated at the table. The gumball machine looked up at the bird from his newspaper as Mordecai began to fix his plate of food.

"Sleep well?" Benson asked, returning attention to his paper.

"I guess..." the avian frowned, "I'm guessing Rigby didn't come back?"

"Nope." the gumball machine sighed, "And it's not like he'd be able to. Rigby's already been filed as laid off and I'm certainly not hiring him back."

"Benson." Skips said blankly, giving the machine a look.

"What? Why would I hire him knowing how poor a worker he is?"

"Because he's a friend." the yeti explained flatly. Benson only snorted in response.

Mordecai decided to just ignore the comments being made and continue with his breakfast. The pancakes had grown cold, as had the bacon. Though, as hard as the bird attempted to open the microwave, he simply couldn't get the door to pry open. Some form of dried adhesive could clearly be seen having leaked from the bottom of the microwave door.

"Uh," Mordecai began, looking back at the others, "Did you have some kind of cooking accident, Pops?"

"Unfortunately, I have no idea what that is." Pops answered.

"Well," the bird groaned, using all his might to rip the door open and see what was inside. "Whatever it is, it's pretty strong."

Skips silently got up from his chair, making his way over and easily tearing the door open, hinge thankfully remaining intact. "There."

"Thanks, Skips." Mordecai laughed, looking inside the machine and finding a glob of melted "whatever" all over the center of the tray. "Jeez, what the hell is this stuff?"

"Another prank?" Benson spat.

"Dude, I swear it wasn't me." Mordecai spouted.

Skips looked over the strange mess. "I think it's just metal." the yeti muttered gruffly.

The bird paused. "I thought you weren't supposed to put metal in the microwave."

"YOU'RE NOT." Benson screamed.

"I said I didn't do it!"

"I'm not accusing you of doing it." the gumball machine huffed, "That was just a really _STUPID_ comment."

"Benson." Skips mumbled, the male freezing.

The gumball machine inhaled deeply. "Okay."

"So I guess I can just eat my breakfast cold..." Mordecai laughed awkwardly, taking a seat across from Benson.

Skips removed the microwave's glass tray, inspecting it. "I'll see if I can get this gunk off with some of my tools later."

"Thanks, Skips." Benson spoke.

"It's a lucky things that I had no use for the microwave this morning, I suppose.'' Pops joined in.

Mordecai swallowed hard. "Uh, hey, Benson?" he began, the gumball machine looking up from his paper once more. "I was wondering if I could have some free time to myself today." Mordecai admitted.

"No." Benson answered, his glass face completely unfazed.

"Please, Benson?" Mordecai persisted.

"Why in the world would I let you have some time to yourself when you're going to slack off anyways?" the gumball machine growled.

Mordecai gave his boss a hopeful and innocent look. "I wanted to look for Rigby."

Benson sat quietly, everyone's eyes now on him. "Fine." the machine answered, "But I want ALL your work finished to the best of your ability before you even CONSIDER leaving."

"I promise." Mordecai assured with a cheeky grin.

"How wonderful of you, Benson!" Pops exclaimed.

"I guess this will motivate you to actually get your work done." Benson laughed weakly, "Some good can come out of this after all."

Mordecai spared a chuckle as well, but in his mind was a bit lost. Where was he going to even begin searching for Rigby? There was always the chance that he was camping somewhere inside the park, seeing as how expansive it proved to be. But the avian was doubtful.

Then there were things he needed to talk about with Margaret. Having lost his cell phone, the bird would also have to give himself to run over to the coffee shop and call this whole day-date thing off; if he even _was_ going to call it off. Quite honestly though, a trip to the amusement park with Margaret and her boyfriend along with Eileen didn't sound like the best use of his time. The bare thought made Mordecai feel uncomfortable. But it was a necessary evil if he wanted to try and get closer to the robin, right?

"Here's your chores for the day." Benson stated, sliding a list across the table to Mordecai. "Clean the fountain, trim the hedges and weed the garden."

"That's it?" the blue jay asked surprised.

"You're welcome." the gumball machine mumbled. "I think I'm going to head out and gather the troops." Benson yawned, "Everyone outside in ten minutes, alright?"

Everyone gave a nod. "I think I shall come as well." Pops followed, the two candied males exiting the room.

"What do you even plan to do when you find him; _if _you find him?" Skips questioned out of nowhere.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Mordecai chuckled, "I'm gonna bring him back to the park of course."

"What if it's not that easy?" the yeti added, "He left so easily. There's clearly something we're not seeing."

"But he doesn't have anywhere else to go." Mordecai explained, "So doesn't he sort of- _have_ to come back?" Although, even Mordecai himself had doubt in those words. He couldn't think of a place for Rigby to go himself, but that didn't mean that there wasn't one.

Skips muttered some things incoherently to himself. "What did you even do, if you don't mind me asking?"

Mordecai shrugged. "We just got into a fight is all."

"That's not very clear of an answer seeing as how you two get into a fight just about every other day."

"I might have said some not-so-kind things..." the bird trailed off.

"Such as?" Skips furthered.

"Things along the lines of him being too clingy and me needing some space." Mordecai mumbled.

Skips' unfaltering stare remaining fixed on the blue jay. "That's all you said? That doesn't seem like a reason to leave."

"Well- I might be describing it less harshly than it actually was," Mordecai sighed. "And a little less maturely."

"Why did you even say it to begin with?"

"He was saying stuff about Margaret again!" the bird burst out, "I'm getting pretty fed up with him saying the same things all the time too!"

Skips frowned. "Maybe he had a reason to."

"Give me a good reason why it would be a good idea to trash-talk the girl I like."

"I don't know." the yeti sighed, "You'd have to ask Rigby. He might have a justifiable reason that neither of us can see ourselves. Like I said, there's probably something we're not seeing."

"I wish he could just lay off saying stuff he knows I don't wanna hear so much."

"Maybe you could do the same for him." Skips added.

Remaining quiet, Mordecai further carried on with eating his breakfast. It seemed like Skips was really in defense for Rigby during this argument. Maybe it was simply the shock to both of them, well; everyone, that the mammal would go as far as to leave.

No doubt all of this would be a _lot_ harder to take in if it weren't for Pops' amazing cooking. Even if it was a little cold...

"Both of you should just try to get along." Skips continued, getting up from his spot. "In the end, you just need to remember the fact that Rigby will always be there for you, we both know that." the yeti smiled, "So you shouldn't be risking your friendship that you've had with him forever to defend one that might not succeed." Skips gave the bird a pat on the back before heading outside, carrying the microwave tray alongside him.

"Thanks, Skips." Mordecai grinned back.

"If it doesn't work out as you had planned, you know where to find me. I'll do my best to find an answer to the situation." the yeti assured, Mordecai nodding.

The blue jay starting thinking up a game-plan. There was always the chance that Skips was right, and that a simple apology wouldn't be enough for Rigby to change his mind about things. And seeing how often the yeti tended to be correct, Mordecai couldn't help but feel a little shaken up. But it would seem a little immature of Rigby to be so defiant over a stupid argument.

More importantly, where was Mordecai going to search for his friend first? And what about this whole date-ordeal with Margaret? He was tired enough as it seemed, that nightmare not giving him much pleasant sleep.

"What a mess..." Mordecai sighed, putting his dishes in the sink and following everyone else outside.

In the end, everything would work out for the best and return to normal. Some lessons will have been learned and boundaries discovered. That was just the way that everything always ended. Still, the bird couldn't shake the doubt that there was a lot beneath the surface, and that it would cost him dearly for being so blind.


	6. Battlefield

The dry dirt-trail to the fountain crumbled beneath Mordecai's bare feet with each step. Being considerably close, the trip took no more than a minute. Not that the bird minded as much today, warm air caressing his body. Cleaning the fountain, as you can imagine, is the biggest pain with cold weather; the frigid water nearly freezing your hands off.

Hose, shovel, brush, and trash bag had already been set out in preparation of the job. The fountain's waters were calm as well, someone already having turned it off.

Mordecai took the green hose and ran it into the water, regretfully placing it into his mouth and inhaling until the foul liquid began pouring into his mouth. The blue jay immediately dropped the hose and began coughing in disgust.

He couldn't say he was used to being the one to start the hose, seeing as how things were settled by either 'Punchies' or 'Rock, Paper, Scissors' around here; Rigby bad at both. All the countless times that Rigby had to perform the task and now Mordecai could finally sympathize with the mammal a bit.

The blue jay sat on the cool concrete of the fountain as he waited for it to drain. The auburn trees were still shedding leaves that patched on the ground here and there. Autumn really was a beautiful season, but the labor that it caused counteracted said beauty.

Mordecai could see Pops far away in the park's garden with a bouquet of flowers that he carried neatly bundled in his hands. The lolliman was technically no worker at the park, so it wasn't uncommon to see him goofing off and doing as he pleased. How Mordecai envied him at times...

The weather was gorgeous today with little to no clouds in the sky, quite the opposite of yesterday's cold and smoggy weather. Being outside with Margaret at an amusement park didn't seem half-bad now. It wouldn't lessen any of the uncomfortableness that the blue jay would experience, but it'd make the trip in its entirety more enjoyable. Hopefully...

Fountain now drained; Mordecai grabbed the brush and stepped over the edge, cold excess water greeting the soles of his feet. The avian brushed the fountain's gunk around its floor, looking for any interesting loot that he and Rigby would often collect and trade together. There was always bound to be a few coins here and there as a gift from the saps who believed in luck, but what mostly composed Mordecai's findings was just wadded up, soggy trash. However, a particularly unique item in the fountain struck the blue jay's interest: a pocket watch.

"Sweet." Mordecai chuckled to himself, looking over the golden mechanism's exterior and matching golden chain. A couple scratches on the outside here and there, but that aside, it was in pretty good shape. Why anyone would have left it here or not even try getting it back after dropping it remained a mystery.

Mordecai pressed down the button on top and the front popped open like a locket. Some mucky water dripped out, but the clock's insides were exceedingly more impressive. It was split into four colored segments with lone, silver bars at the three, six, nine, and twelve marks.

The first segment between twelve and three, appeared to be missing, the cogs of the clock visible and slowly turning. Next quarter between three and six was a deep shade of ruby. It was painted a dark with thin and sporadic onyx lines with a pattern that could only be compared to a flame. The third section between six and nine was a calm, neutral brown. Smooth, curved, ebony lines decorated its surface.

Mordecai's favorite was the final section of the watch between the boundaries of nine and twelve. It was gentle shade of blue, ornamented with a dark, web-like design. He noticed that the clock only had one hand, the bird having no idea whether or not it was even supposed to have more than that single one.

"It must be broken." Mordecai mumbled with a frown. Maybe he could ask Skips to fix it later.

The blue jay looked around the base of the fountain, gingerly searching through the trash and filth for that missing fourth piece to the watch, but coming across nothing. The watch was probably one of his best finds though, even if it was broken. It definitely wasn't a bunch of karate-chopping baby ducks, but it was without a doubt an interesting treasure.

Mordecai set the small watch on the fountain's edge. Now it was time to start shoveling this crap out of here. Scoop by scoop, all the fountain's gunk went into the trash bag until the fountain was barren. With a little more brushing, the fountain soon glistened like fine marble.

Once it was turned back on, the fountain began to fill itself with a new clean and crystal-clear sufficiency of water. Mordecai stood to the side, taking some time to get a full view of his masterpiece as a result of his hard work. Damn, that fountain looked fine. Fine indeed.

The blue jay grabbed his newly found watch, grabbed his tools, and was on his way to the next job.

Walking past the zen garden that he'd had to monotonously rake while Muscle Man cried like a baby in his trailer due to lament of losing his beloved Starla. Mordecai never talked to the green slob more than he needed, but he was fairly sure the two were still together. And in all honesty, they sure as hell better be after all the crap the bird had to go through to get them back together. All the property damages that had to be paid after Starla's destructive rampage through the park undoubtedly wouldn't be forgotten either.

Although, looking at the carefully and elegantly formed patterns in the sand of the garden, he had to give him and Hi Five Ghost some credit. Even though the task was probably a lot easier when one of you can float.

"Hey Pops!" Mordecai called out, the well dressed and groomed man turning to him in surprise, but smiling right away upon seeing a chum of his approaching.

"Oh, hello there Mordecai! Are you having a pleasurable day of work so far?"

"As pleasurable as it'll get I guess." the blue jay laughed weakly. "Do you know who laid all of my stuff out by the fountain, Pops?" Mordecai asked curiously, putting the tools away in the shed and retrieving a pair of hedge clippers.

"It was Benson of course!" the lolliman giggle.

"Benson?" Mordecai spat in astonishment, "You're joking, right?" Pops shook his head. "Well, uh... why would Benson be helping me?" the blue jay asked cautiously, looking around the garden fearfully as if a live bomb were planted somewhere.

"Is it so irregular for Benson to be performing a friendly action?" Pops asked with a frown.

"Well, yeah!" The bird exclaimed.

Pops began to think quietly to himself. "Well I suppose it might be a _little _odd..." the lolliman paused. "Maybe he wants the tasks to be completed quickly, or rather, quicker than usual." he explained.

"And why's that?" Mordecai asked.

"Seeing as how we now are one man short, perhaps he wants to do his part to assist in the duties." Pops answered before instantly covering his face in embarrassment. "Oh, I apologize; you don't mind me conversing on the topic of Rigby do you?" the man asked sorrowfully.

"I can get used to Benson being nice, _trust me_, I can. I guess I'm just not used to it is all." Mordecai chuckled, trying to slip some gardening gloves onto his feathery hands. "And don't worry about Rigby, I'm fine with talking about it." the avian assured, "So anyways, how have you been, Pops?"

"Thank goodness! The last think I would want to do is upset you." the other male giggled, "I suppose I've been doing quite well, I could say less for my father however."

"Mr. Maellard?" Mordecai asked, kneeling down beside Pops and picking weeds out from the flower box.

"Yes." Pops frowned, "He seems to be overwhelmed with work lately, and it concerns me."

"Oh... I'm sorry to hear that."

"No! It's quite alright! Quite alright indeed!" the lolliman exclaimed, his familiar smile reappearing. "He's just in a bit of a slump right now. I'm sure he'll return to his old self in no time!"

"Haha, I'm jealous of how optimistic you can remain in situations like that, Pops." Mordecai confessed, moving onto the next area of weeds.

"Oh, do not be. It's not that great. I myself am overcome with stress at times as well!" The lolliman assured, setting down his cluster of flowers, and scooting closer to the blue jay. "Do you require some assistance?"

"Thanks, but you don't have to help me, Pops." Mordecai smiled.

"Yes I do!" Pops burst out. "Look! I've been doing it for a while now." he said, holding out the bouquet of flowers to the bird; having clearly misinterpreted the definition of a weed. "Benson said if I'd like to help, I was free to picking weeds."

"Uh... Pops," Mordecai began, looking at the large-headed man with a friendly smile, the lolliman smiled back at him. "Looks like you've been working hard." Mordecai laughed, deciding not to mention things.

"Well, thank you, Mordecai!" Pops responded happily to his compliment.

After a while, Mordecai had completed all of his gardening duties, only at the cost of some flowers. The bird had managed to trim the hedges down quite nicely, if he did say so himself. Pops had gone on an expeditious chase for a butterfly all the while, which gave Mordecai more time to do the jobs- er... correctly. And now that the chores had been completed, the blue jay could go on an expedition of his own.

Mordecai washed his hands in the sink and examined himself in the mirror further, combing his feathers nearly until the feathers were realigned. The bird gave his reflection a suave smile before flipping the lights off and heading out the bathroom.

Setting the pocket watch he'd found on the nightstand beside his bed, Mordecai saw the clock displayed '11:10', added to the fifteen to twenty minutes or so that it'd take him to walk to the coffee shop, Mordecai would be left with around half an hour to spend with the robin before this alleged amusement park opened at noon.

Still, Mordecai would have never been able to fulfill his duties this early in the day. "I guess I have to owe it to Pops." the bird chuckled. While the lolliman may not have been of _all_ that much help, he was considerably more of one than Rigby.

The analog clock switched to '11:11', leading the bird to only think less of himself as he thought up a wish. Mordecai was a bit embarrassed by believing in such a cliché belief, but it couldn't hurt, right?

"I wish..." Mordecai whispered to himself, "I wish I could find Rigby."

* * *

><p>The blue jay exited from the front door of the house, and soon the front gates of the park. Dirt paths transitioned to concrete sidewalks as the natural environment of the park switched to the big, bustling city that Mordecai often forgot they even lived in. And after a good chunk of time spent walking, Mordecai was soon at the coffee shop's doors.<p>

The sweet scent of coffee immediately greeted the bird's sense of smell, added to the soothing music that played softly throughout the shop always made for a soothing combination. The same bell was the first to greet him, as usual, drawing the attention of the migrant few people who sat in secluded corners on the shop hoarding Wi-Fi on their laptops.

"Mordecai!" Margaret called cheerfully, noticeably not wearing her usual apron and coffee shop attire, but instead a rather low-cut T-shirt with shorts, as such her usual casual attire.

"Hi, Margaret." the blue jay hesitated. "It's okay that I'm a bit early, right?"

"Yeah, it's fine." the robin answered, "It'll take us a bit of time to get there anyhow, so we better leave now."

"Clearly you managed to get your shift taken off." Mordecai grinned.

Margaret let out a sigh. "You have no idea how difficult my boss was about letting both me and Eileen take the day off." the robin laughed. "Nobody wants to work on a Saturday, so that only made it harder."

"I can sympathize." Mordecai stated, "We all know how hard Benson can be."

Margaret giggled. "Hey, Eileen! We're leaving now."

"Okay!" the mole answered. Only the tip of Eileen's ponytail could be seen from behind the counter until the small girl came out and around. "Where's Rigby?" Eileen mumbled, looking around the shop.

"Sick." Mordecai lied, Eileen's disappointment expressed with a frown and quiet groan of disapproval. It almost made the blue jay feel bad...

Margaret frowned alongside her small friend. "Well, that stinks. We can always go after he gets better, if you want."

"He didn't seem all that interested in going to begin with..." Mordecai began, "Plus he said we should just go without him." the bird laughed uncomfortably, "You know how- er, prideful he can get."

"Well, if he's alright with it..." Margaret muttered, heading towards the exit and leaving her two confused friends following behind her.

The trio walked down the warm sidewalk, contrary to yesterday. Margaret continuing to lead. "Sorry that we have to walk." the robin started. "I doubt we'd be able to get any parking spaces."

Mordecai smiled. "It's alright."

"We'll probably get there a tad bit early." Margaret added, "But Allan will let us in, I'm sure."

"Allan?"

"Margaret's boyfriend." Eileen answered, looking up at Mordecai. "You two actually kinda look alike." the mole giggled.

"Oh, that's great." Mordecai muttered incoherently.

"Hey! He's a raven." the robin jumped in, "blue jays and ravens are completely different birds."

"Still birds though." the mole defended.

Margaret giggled. "Well, humans were kinda weird."

"Rigby will be okay, right? It's not too serious is it?" Eileen whispered to Mordecai.

"Oh yeah, he'll be fine. He was just out in the cold a little bit too long." the bird explained. What a rush on on-the-spot genius.

"I feel bad for you guys, having to work outside; especially when the weather has been so freezing lately." Margaret confessed, looking back at the bird behind her.

"It's not all that bad." Mordecai assured, "I mean, I guess I'm just lucky I didn't get sick either. Hard to believe that it was Rigby with his fur and all."

"I was just about to ask that," Eileen stated, "But then again, you guys could always just wear clothes."

"Yeah, what's with that?" the robin added in with a giggle.

Mordecai didn't answer, positive his blush was already giving enough of one. Although, there wasn't much more said between the three of them for the rest of the trip, and the only conversations were the ones of the people passing by. Town was slightly more crowded today it seemed, probably just the lunch rush. But it was a great contrast from yesterday night where the streets were laughably deserted.

"There it is." Margaret sighed, pointing across the street to a huge, walled-in area. Despite how tall the towering brick walls were, the Ferris wheel and rollercoasters that they held within could still be seen.

Margaret whipped out her cellphone, standing in silence as she waited to whoever the hell she was calling to pick up. Mordecai could take a good guess at who it was, this apparent duplicate of himself that was somehow good enough for Margaret.

"Hey," the robin greeted to the other line, stopping in front of the sidewalk and crossing the street alongside the mole and blue jay. "Yeah, we're here. Not very early, but every minute with you counts." she chuckled, both Mordecai and Eileen rolling their eyes.

Both of them really had nothing to do but stand awkwardly to the side and pretend not to eavesdrop until their friend was finished with her phone call.

"Love you too." Margaret said, walking closer to the park's enormous gates and hitting the 'END' button on her phone. The blue jay almost gagged at the sound of those words being used by her. There came a point where those words lost their meaning. But what did that say about his chances?.. Not that it mattered anyways. She had a boyfriend.

_"__It's okay Mordecai, you can make it through this__." _Mordecai thought to himself, taking a deep breath and preparing for the worst.

"Hi!" Margaret addressed to a figure roaming behind the park's gates on the other side.

"Hey." the voice cooed, triggering something in the back of Mordecai's mind and giving him a strange feeling that left his stomach in knots. Sure, he was probably just nervous about meeting someone, especially if it was one of Margaret's boyfriends. But there was also a little of hint of something he couldn't recognize. It felt something like exhaustion had seemingly washed over him all of a sudden. The voice sounded familiar to him for some reason as well...

"_What is this?.."_ Mordecai wondered, looking down at his shaking hand with fear. The blue jay could feel a tingling start to travel across his wing. _"What's wrong with me?"_

"You okay, Mordecai?" Eileen looked concerned.

"Yeah, yeah." the bird sighed, "I'm fine."

The gates began to open with a loud creak, revealing someone who actually _did_ look very much like Mordecai. Every feature seemed to be the same, aside from the obvious factors such as the raven's dark, jet-black feathers and bright emerald green eyes that could only stand in the shadow of Eileen's emerald ones. All that aside, while you might think Mordecai was crazy, he swore on his life that they were identical.

"So, how's work been?" Margaret continued, embracing her boyfriend with a hug.

"Same as always," Allan chuckled, "We've been getting a ton of new employees so I've been stuck doing mostly nothing but training." the raven explained, letting out a deep breath. "But, I'm pretty stoked my boss let me take some time off to hang out with you."

Mordecai could only stand frozen and pray he wasn't going insane at his point. Course, how would you react in a situation like this? Seeing your crush with someone who looks _exactly _the same as you leaves a person to do really nothing more but question their personality.

"So," Allan started, releasing Margaret from his embrace and heading towards the blue jay. "You must be Mordecai." the raven chuckled, "I've heard a lot about you." he smiled, holding out his hand.

The avian looked at Allan in surprise. Was he trying to imply that Margaret talked about him? The blue jay couldn't help but get suddenly excited inside.

"Yeah." Mordecai grinned dumbly, grabbing the raven's hand to shake. A burning sensation quickly engulfed the blue jay's wing with intense pain until their contact ceased. "You must be Allan." Mordecai stated through the pain. What in the hell was that all about?

"Yup, that's me." Allan smiled, bending down to greet Eileen with a hug as well. "And I already know you."

"Thanks for doing this, Allan." the mole said gratefully.

The raven returned to the robin's side with a smirk. "No problem, guys!"

"You were saying about new employees?" Margaret began as the group entered the park.

"Oh, yeah. We've been getting a lot of applications recently and I don't have a clue as to why we have such a high demand." Allan chuckled, "A few of them wanted to hang out with you guys today, and I said the choice is yours." the raven explained, "But I'm sure even if you decline, being the assholes they are, they'll follow around as much as they can today."

"Well it's always nice to make a new friend." Margaret smiled, "What's that one guy's name you were telling me about? Charlie, I think?.."

Once again, Mordecai and Eileen found themselves walking behind the avian couple having nothing to do but listen to their conversation as they trailed behind.

Mordecai found himself looking over the expanse of the massive park in amazement and all the countless rides and stands that occupied its grounds. There were only a few people around, which the blue jay assumed to be fellow workers of the park who were setting up in preparation for park visitors. Allan would often wave or call out to them, all happily replying to him. Gee, what a popular guy.

"So when does this place even regularly open?" Mordecai summoned the courage to get a word in.

"Noon." The raven answered simply.

"That's when we had planned on coming," Margaret began, "But I figured, hey, why not come early if we can?" the robin giggled, "Even if it _is_ only a couple minutes. This place gets super crowded during the day."

"But don't worry about it, my boss is pretty chill." Allan promised, "So, what do you want to do first? All the park's our playground for now." he laughed, turning towards the others. All of them gave their varying forms of 'I'm fine with anything.' and coming to the consensus to start small and slow first. And while the Ferris wheel may not be small, it sure is slow.

Margaret and Allan did most the talking for the group, and as expected, Mordecai and Eileen found themselves feeling nothing but outcast.

"How often do you have to deal with this?" the blue jay whispered to the girl.

"You have no idea." Eileen sighed, "I don't know whether to be jealous that she's taken or thankful that I don't have to act like that."

Mordecai could always just hang with Eileen for the rest of the while. Plus whenever people would eventually start packing into this place it'd probably somehow relieve some of this awkward and stressful atmosphere that was hazing the two of them.

"Hey, Allan!" another friend of Allan's called out. Mordecai sighed, wondering if this was all the day was going to consist of, but froze. It was the voice that caught him off-guard. It was so similar to the one in his dream this morning, so _familiar._

"Well look who it is!" Allan greeted back with a friendly chuckle, "The new kid."

Steps grew closer and closer, but no matter how much Mordecai wanted to flee from this situation right now, his body remained frozen like a statue. Finding Rigby had been a lot easier than he'd expected. Though, the circumstances of them meeting again could've been much better. He'd gotten what he'd wished for.


	7. Becoming Reality

Mordecai stood motionlessly like stone, completely consumed in surprise and small hint of fear as the short raccoon drew closer. The bird's mind refused to act properly, his head completely void of any thoughts whatsoever. Rigby caught up to the rest of the group, simply passing by Mordecai like a stranger, not even having glanced in the blue jay's direction. Though Mordecai knew deep down that it must've been in spite.

Allan and Rigby exchanged some sort of cheesy and poorly executed handshake with a laugh before Margaret offered the mammal a hug, Eileen only standing by on the sidelines with a goofy smile and blush. It did hurt; being alienated by who he considered as his best friend, in fact, the bird could've sworn Rigby had been more happy to see Margaret than Mordecai. What kind of messed up world do we live in?..

"_Since when is he happy to see MARGARET?" _the blue jay asked loudly in his head, slightly enraged with confusion over what the hell exactly was going on. Rigby sure seemed to like the robin as much yesterday when he was talking crap about her. That was the _entire_ reason any of this had happened, and seeing how suddenly friendly Rigby had become towards the main reason for their fight all of a sudden lead to rage bubbling inside the bird.

It was odd how he felt at this point. It seemed as if the tables had turned and emotions had completely flipped. Mordecai had originally wanted to find Rigby so that he could apologize for everything, yet here he was with that opportunity, but all he wanted to do was punch the small raccoon as hard as his fists would allow, and he couldn't figure out why.

"Mordecai, are you coming?" Margaret called out, drawing the bird's attention away from his thoughts.

"Oh- yeah!" he called back, running to catch up with the group that appeared to have already begun to continue on their way without him. Pretty rude of them all, if you ask me.

The blue jay followed in silence, listening to the other four's conversation, everyone seemingly more social than they had been minutes before Rigby had shown up. Eileen was now too busy attempting one-sided conversations with Rigby to be lonely with Mordecai, and the raccoon was far too busy ignoring the mole and talking to Allan to care. Not that the blue jay really expected him to.

"It's really nice out today though, right?" Allan asked, stretching out his wings as the others shook their head in agreement, well, everyone except Mordecai. Regardless of how nice it was, walking through the immensely sized park still proved to be a tiring trip for the group, even to the Ferris wheel which had seemed like such a short distance to the eye. Mordecai began to doubt that he'd be able to make it out of this park alone without getting lost every once and a while.

"Rigby, I thought you were sick?" Margaret asked, stopping Mordecai dead in his tracks. How the hell was he supposed to explain and defend that?

"Me? Nah! There's not a germ strong enough to take me on!" Rigby chuckled with a triumphant smile. Margaret smiled back at him, then turning back to look at Mordecai, clearly puzzled.

"I'm confused, because Mordecai said that you were..."

"_THANK YOU, MARGARET."_ the bluejay screamed in his head.

"You really shouldn't take everything he says so seriously." Rigby muttered coldly.

And with that uncomfortably blunt of an answer, the topic was dropped just as quickly as it had been brought up, though Mordecai wasn't sure whether to be happy about it. Yet, what about what Rigby had said? It'd certainly wounded the bird slightly. Though he began to wonder why Rigby of all people had been the one to say that. It made no sense, seeing as how if the raccoon lived by such a rule, he wouldn't have been bothered by the fight to the extreme of leaving.

The group finally came upon their destination, conversation thankfully saved by Allan after the "Rigby being sick" blunder. The raven headed over to the control box to start up the machine, him being the only one certified enough to handle the machine. So from there, it was unsurprisingly decided that Eileen and Margaret would go as a pair so as not to stir up romantic confusion between the blue jay and not-so-single robin, as well as protecting Rigby from the burning wildfire of love known as by Eileen. Pff, that was an exaggeration, of course.

That only left Mordecai and Rigby to ride together, but that okay, right? To everyone else, the duo were still friends and the blue jay had only told a bizarre lie. It was only Mordecai and Rigby themselves who were aware of the situation. And oddly enough, the raccoon didn't put up a fight against riding with Mordecai as the blue jay had expected. He could've simply stayed on the ground along Allan and left Mordecai to himself on the ride, putting him in a place of unimaginable isolation. Yet thankfully, he wasn't _that_ cruel.

Boarding the ride, the two men loaded in with an awkward silence. It felt as if they were complete and total strangers, when just yesterday, they had been the best of friends. The machine let out loud screeches as the ride began to slowly rotate and their cart was lifted up in the ground to begin one of many rotations. What fun.

Mordecai was the first to muster up strength to break through this silence. "So you work here now?"

"Yeah," Rigby stated, avoiding eye contact with the avian while shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

"I still don't understand why you quit your job at the park..." the blue jay trailed off, his gaze on the mammal beside him still unfazed.

"I just gave up is all."

"Gave up on what?" Mordecai questioned, confused.

"I gave up on our friendship," Rigby explained, "And seeing as how that was really the only thing keeping me at the park-..." the mammal paused, "There wasn't much of a reason for keeping my job there when I could get a better one."

"Dude! It was just one little fight; we get into those all the time! Why was this one your breaking point?"

"I just couldn't fix it. This is the first time I couldn't fix it." Rigby mumbled sadly.

The cold seats of the Ferris wheel only put the bird more on edge over this discussion, and as the duo was lifted to the top of the machine's height, the seemingly infinite expanse of the city behind the park's walls came into view. They could go as many new places as they wanted, but they'd always be trapped in this place, somehow.

Mordecai sighed at his dabbling. "Dude, I'm sorry, okay? Can we just put all this behind us and move on?" the bird asked apologetically.

"No, okay? Because I'm always the one who gets punished, and I'm tired of it." Rigby spat, flaring up.

"You could 'fix it' right now if you agreed to just come back." Mordecai grumbled, holding back his anger from the other male in knowing that it sure as hell wouldn't help him in this situation to hit the raccoon. But it really was a stupid thing to complain about not having been able to "fix" everything and then decline the blue jay's offer to do exactly that. Rigby was so damn stubborn.

"So things can go back to how they were?" the mammal asked.

Mordecai gave an odd look to the other male. "Isn't that what you want?"

"Of course not." Rigby frowned; Mordecai finding himself completely lost now.

"Wait- what?"

"We're just going to end up having the same argument again." the raccoon sighed, his feet swinging gently over the seat's edge. "One of us had to give up eventually."

"Yeah, but..." Mordecai became wordless. There was really nothing he could think of at this point that could turn the tables of the conversation in his favor. If Rigby wanted to be stubborn; he was going to be stubborn, and there was nothing that was going to change that. The mammal always wanted to get his own way, to prove something. And it was clear at this point that he wouldn't be changing his mind until the bird was on his knees, kissing Rigby's feet apologetically. But that wasn't worth it... was it?

The breeze gently blew through the birds feathers as it did through the mammal's fur, the raccoon's hair flowing softly in the breeze as he stared blankly off into the distance. Mordecai took a deep breath and decided that he'd been defeated.

"I'll miss you." the bird stated as the Ferris wheel began to rotate once more. Rigby remained quiet, and both males began to become confused of how to feel about the ordeal; both thinking too strongly of themselves to become upset, but not past the point of being angered.

Mordecai soon let out a sigh, realizing that he wouldn't be getting much of an answer from the silent raccoon beside him, and things remained as such until the ride's rotation came to a slow, halted, and everyone regrouped. But such an uncomfortable situation put Mordecai in an immediate mood to leave, not wanting in the slightest bit to stay here and feel this indescribable feeling of disappointment and embarrassing for any longer than he needed. Hours more of watching how intimate Margaret and Allan could become wouldn't help him much either.

The blue jay pulled Margaret to the side, nervously and shakily trying his best to execute yet another lie as he'd been doing all day. Why did this one seem so hard all of a sudden? "Margaret," he began, "I actually need to get going soon. Sorry we didn't get to do much." the bird frowned.

"Yeah..." she drifted while sharing in on Mordecai's frown, "We practically just got here."

"Sorry- Benson kinda only gave me an hour off for break. It took a bit longer to get here than I expected, and I'm sure it'll take me just as long to get back..." he explained, Margaret's letdown still clear in her face regardless, "But hey, I'll make it up to you some time?" Mordecai jested.

"You better." she joked with a giggle, "Now get on back before Benson has your head. It was fun even though we didn't get to spend much time together."

"See ya!" Mordecai departed, waving goodbye to Margaret alone as the other three hadn't even noticed his going away. Though, he preferred it that way. There would be no questions asked about how or why, and perhaps he'd be able to ride this lie out to safety for once.

The robin waved goodbye as well, honestly more confused than anything now about how oddly her friend, rather, _friends_ were acting. There was clearly some sort of tension between Mordecai and Rigby right now, that much was clear. Especially if Rigby were working here now as Allan had said, but Margaret wouldn't ask.

* * *

><p>After bounds of wasted time from trying to find his way out of that hellish maze of concession stands and rides as customers began to flood in as soon as the park opened, Mordecai managed to eventually find his way out. The blue jay wasn't really sure what to do now, but one thing he did know was that he wanted out of that amusement park as soon as possible. A fresh bout of relief ebbed through him upon walking out those front gates. He'd felt like the fifth wheel to the group that made the "car" irregular. But you'd think from all the irregular, yet wonderful experiences the bird had been through, he'd learn not to care at some point.<p>

Oddly, Mordecai didn't feel so safe walking through his own park's gates either after the situation between him and Rigby had him on edge. And and not going back to the house and lazily throwing himself in bed to sleep for the rest of eternity in depression, the blue jay remembered something, and headed towards Skips' garage instead. To no surprise, the white yeti was hard at work on some complex machinery.

"Hey, Skips!"

"Hey, Mordecai!" Skips answered, pulling the up visor of his welder's mask to expose his same, old, always-emotionless face "How'd it go?"

"Well, I definitely found Rigby." the blue jay grumbled, "He's working for some amusement park further up in town somehow."

"I know." the yeti stated bluntly.

"Huh?!" the bird blurted, "What do you mean?! You already know?!"

"Shouldn't I have a reputation for stuff like this by now?" Skips asked, Mordecai just looking at him absolute bewilderment. The yeti let out a breath, pulling out a chair and welcoming the blue jay inside. "I already knew that you would find Rigby, as well as the fact he works at the amusement park now." he elaborated.

"How though?!"

"You told me." Skips frowned. That explanation certainly didn't help in the slightest, honestly only making things worse. "Er- we've had this conversation before." Nope, still nothing. "In the past?" Well, that much should be self-explanatory.

"I don't-..." Mordecai began, handicapped at thinking of a practical response to all this nonsense the yeti was spouting about fictitious conversations in the past.

Skips let out a sigh of defeat. "Anyhow, don't you think you should be trying to figure out how to fix this?" he asked, turning back to his work as if any interest in the conversation had just now been thrown out the window.

"I don't know how." the bird groaned. Maybe Skips wouldn't be as much help as the bird had anticipated. However, if what he says about the past is true, shouldn't he know the solution to all this too?

"Maybe you should go back and prevent the fight from even happening."

"Do you mean?-"

"A do-over?" Skips chuckled, "Like that one time Rigby got a date with Margaret? 2"

"How do you even know about that?"

"Like I said, shouldn't I already have a reputation for this kind of stuff by now?" the yeti repeated, "I'm unaffected by time entirely with this whole 'immortality' deal. So, when the first time-line gets reset; I don't."

"So you don't forget everything along everyone else..."

"Bingo." Skips chuckled. "Immortality is always a bit more complicated than people tend to think. I should know that, of all people..." the yeti frowned. "But enough about me. What are you going to do about Rigby?"

"I guess I'll just get a do-over like you suggested." Mordecai answered, "Can you tell me if it works out alright or not?"

"I have no idea." Skips said blankly with his blowtorch blasting loudly.

Wait, what did he mean? "Have you not made it this far in the initial-time line or something?"

"No clue." the yeti answered, putting Mordecai back into his place of being confused. The reason that Skips always knew the solution to all Mordecai and Rigby's mishaps was because he'd already experienced them before. The duo would approach the yeti with the issue the first time, and Skips would learn from what happened to teach the two when time reset, and the _same_ mess happens all over again.

"But if you knew that I'd tell you about Rigby like I did minutes ago, how do you not know what will happen to me minutes from now when I get a do-over?"

"Stop wasting time." the yeti grumbled, blowtorch not ceasing to mute out the bird from Skips' earshot. Skips had started off today so friendly, and now here he was being a jerk. Maybe it was because the topic of the yeti's immortality was a bit touchy, and that the blue jay nosily poking at it wasn't helping anyone. Anyhow, Skips was right.

* * *

><p>With no time left to be wasted, Mordecai ran back to the house and burst through the front door to quickly run up the stairs and into his room. The bird approached the nightstand beside his bed; atop it sat both the pocket-watch he'd found earlier this morning while cleaning the fountain, as well as his same, old digital clock. Which to use?..<p>

On one hand, the pocket-watch could be worth a bit when you think about the terms of how antiquated it could be, despite the fact that it appeared broken and didn't work. On the other hand, he had an analog clock that actually _did_ work, just in a much less ornamented fashion than that of the pocket-watch. Mordecai certainly wasn't going to use any of the house's clocks, knowing damn well that Benson would rips his wings clean from his body if he did so, meaning it came down to his _own_ clocks.

He wasn't even sure if a digital clock would work in the microwave, seeing as how it didn't really posses the face or hands of a clock, but was rather nothing more than an electronic screen with buttons. So did that mean the worm-hole wouldn't open if he were to use it? But the pocket-watch was so damn cool! There was also always the various clocks around the house that belonged to Maellard and Pops, and while the two of them might not notice one of them missing, Benson certainly would, and Mordecai would be kissing this job goodbye.

"Jeez," Mordecai sighed, hating every moment of this a lot more than he should. It seemed like such a stupid decision to make, especially with how overly dramatic he was making it out to be, but Mordecai eventually settled on the choice to use his newly found treasure; kissing it goodbye- actually, he probably shouldn't. Mordecai had never even washed the grubby thing after retrieving it from the fountain...

But none the less, Mordecai quickly ran downstairs with pocket-watch at hand, nearly tripping down the staircase at his own staggering speed. The bird immediately headed towards the tray-less microwave. Oh, right. Skips must've been working on getting that metal-crap off the glass tray. Could someone have been... trying to do the same thing as him now?

The blue jay shrugged, it really shouldn't matter, right? Mordecai carelessly tossed the watch into the microwave and slammed the door. It didn't really matter how long he microwaved the watch either, did it? Mordecai mashed the '9' until the timer was full, and pressed start. The avian stood there quietly and cautiously for the machine to do something as it had last time. But come to think of it, last time the bird had used far more clocks than just the single one he was using now.

The microwave began to emit bright sparks from within along an unpleasant screeching sound that made Mordecai cringe in complete discomfort. _"Why's it taking so long?" _the bird thought impatiently to himself while he continued wriggling under that same disgusting sound. _"Maybe I really do need more clock-" _

And explosion burst out, ringing loudly in Mordecai's head as he tried recomposing himself from the complete state of shock and fear the sound had put him in; nearly having given him a heart-attack. Bolts began to slowly creep out the door's screen, contacting with the blue jay and absorbing him within the portal that had been created.

Mordecai found himself screaming as loudly as he found himself capable of, flying through unknown space while clenching onto the microwave for dear life while he rode it at immense speeds. It was so familiar to the time before, when he and Rigby had a fight over Margaret... oh. He'd even ended up killing his best friend in a fit of jealousy over that robin; memory of the raccoon disintegrating into star dust right before his very eyes and the hands that had caused it all.

Maybe contrary to what Mordecai had believed this whole time, somehow, Rigby was able to remember that whole memory just like Skips. Perhaps that's why the mammal is so touchy about getting into fights over Margaret? There wasn't really any way to tell, and there was definitely something missing from all of this.

The microwave came to a sudden halt, and plummeted into the invisible ground beneath; shattering into metallic shrapnel and shards of glass. Mordecai merely recognized his surviving it all just another irregular happening that wasn't so irregular. The bird looked around, nothing coming to view, but remembering that everything here was also invisible. That being said, Mordecai stood waiting patiently, knowing that if he were to move he ran the risk of breaking something of Father Time's. Not the best way to start a deal...

"Hello?" the blue jay called out, looking for that same familiar mass of clocks to appear before him and solve his problems. Nothing answered and the sound of his voice echoing through space grew fainter and fainter. But there was suddenly a- groan of some sort? Clocks flew out from all directions and quickly flowed into a vortex, creating a huge, growing mass of clocks in the process. A small, purple hat floated down in, and landed on the highest clock; releasing the loud cry of a grandfather clock. Even having seen this before, Mordecai couldn't help but drop his jaw in disbelief and sheer awe.

"You, again?" the deep voice answered.

"Father Time?"

"Of course it's me, who else do you know that's a giant wad of clocks?" he retorted, unamused.

"I'm... sorry?" Mordecai faltered.

"You should be! Do you remember what I said to you last time?! Or do you just not listen- EVER?" Father Time yelled angrily, only getting more furious from the dumbfounded and blank look on Mordecai's face. "I told you not to bottle up your emotions anymore." Father Time recapped.

"I haven't been!" the blue jay defended.

"Pff." the clock scoffed, "You really think you can get away with lying to me?" he asked, gesturing his tentacle-like arms composed of nothing but clocks toward himself. "And what's up with microwaving my heart?! Of all the clocks you could've used, it had to be _THIS_ one." Father Time spat, reaching though the broken screen of the machine on the ground to retrieve the pocket watch; opening it to find that all four parts were now missing. The clock let out a cry of frustration before throwing the small clock, which hit an invisible wall of some sort with a loud 'ping!' before falling to the ground with the same clatter.

Mordecai didn't know what to say to that- but kicked himself for having chosen that clock after all. Clearly it _did_ matter which one he'd chosen, and he'd chosen wrong. "I'm sorry! I didn't know it was your heart or whatever!" Mordecai screamed back apologetically. Why was he screaming anyhow?

"I'm getting so tired of fixing all these problems that you guys get yourselves into."

"W- what do you mean?" Mordecai stuttered, looking around for someone behind him. He was the only one here, but it was as if he weren't the only one being spoken to...

"I mean you and your friend, idiot. Why can't you two just get along? And even when you fight, why do you need _ME _to always step in and fix your problems. You've got families of your own, why don't you go talk to _THEM_ about your problems with each other?!" Mordecai stood there without a word, trying to comprehend what the hell Father Time was angrily babbling on about. "That goes for everyone too!" the clock continued, "It's hard enough having to deal with all these parallels running around."

"Uh-?.." Yup. Now the bird was _really_ lost.

"Do you have any idea how many times a day time gets reset? Thousands! We've had this conversation with each other hundreds of times already, and I'm sure there's still hundreds to go!" Father Time continued to vent, clearly having some sort of unstable bout of pent-up anger built up. "What do you think happens when someone other than you comes here, wanting a do-over because of a mistake they've made in their pitiful little lives?"

"..." the blue jay didn't answer, knowing the clock to just be rhetorical now.

"I do the same thing for everyone else as I did for you guys; I send them back. Whether it be to actually help them or just get people out of my damn house after all these daily intrusions." Father Time said, letting out a long breath. "More over, why can't everyone be a man and face their problems themselves. You don't _LEARN _anything from life if you just give up and go back to a checkpoint."

"So... you're tired of giving so many do-overs?" Mordecai questioned, knowing that things weren't looking too good for him right now.

"It's not just that..." the clock grumbled, "When you get placed back to the point where you made your mistake, where do you think the 'you' that was originally there goes? I have to put a lot effort into deleting that version's existence efficiently or else there'd be two identical people running around stirring up confusion."

"What happens if you can't manage to delete that original copy?.."

"It's considered a 'parallel', and as far as I'm concerned, it's the person's problem from then on out. There's no negative consequence to _ME_ if a parallel gets created. But I do try to separate the parallel and the original as much as I can. Your case is a little different though..."

"I have a 'parallel'?!" Mordecai bust out in surprise, not knowing entirely what that meant for him, but aware that it probably wasn't good...

"I'm afraid so." Father Time chuckled. Wait, why the hell is he laughing about this?!

"So-" the blue jay began, trying to understand this all, "When I was sent back to the coffee shop, you didn't correctly delete the version of me that was already there at the time?"

"No, I did not." the mound of clocks said.

Could that have been what it was today, when he met Allan? The two of them were practically identical, or rather, recolored versions of each other. Did that make Margaret's boyfriend his 'parallel' or whatever? And that burning sensation that arose when the two made contact... what was that all about?

"What does a 'parallel' think about all this? Being replaced and all?" the bird inquired, taking a seat on the floor of this invisible plane of space; legs growing weary.

"I erase their memories and try to create a new life for them, but I can only do so much..." Father Time justified, "They'll act the same way, like and hate the same things that they did originally; they're not a different person afterward in a sense. But I would imagine if they were to become aware about being replaced, they wouldn't be too happy."

"I met a raven today, and other than the black feathers and green eyes, we looked exactly alike." Mordecai described, "Do you think he's my parallel?"

"Possibly." Father Time answered, "Remember that people can lie about their appearance. I'm sure if you went out and bought some black hair-dye and green colored-contacts you two would look like reflections of each other." the clock explained, "But if that's true... he must be aware already."

"What's that supposed to mean?.."

"Well, if he wants his old life back, he'll probably try getting rid of you in one way or another."

"Oh- and another thing." Mordecai added, "I shook his hand earlier today, and there was some sort of burning sensation in-"

"You idiot!" the mound of clocks yelled loudly, "Physical contact with your parallel will lead to absorption!" Mordecai just say there idly, not having a clue about anything the clock was going on about, as always. "In simpler terms, the universe only wants one of you to exist, and too much contact with your copy will kill you, okay?" Father time said with a sarcastic giggle.

Mordecai rolled his eyes. "So am I supposed to kill him or something?"

"I don't care what you do." the clock laughed, "If you think you're man enough with murder and can get away with it, go ahead and entertain me with it all. I'd personally just avoid him for now, since you have some bigger matters at hand; _like repairing my heart._" Father Time spat.

"Oh right. Again, I'm sorry about that..." Mordecai frowned.

"Again, you should be." the clock mocked.

"So... how do I fix it?"

"You could start by picking it up from the ground." Father Time answered bluntly as the blue jay walked over to where the pocket-watch lay, and released the hatch on top to find the clock was completely empty of the pieces that were once inside.

"When did that happen?.." Mordecai asked himself quietly. "What else do I do?" the bird asked.

"What's the adventure to it all if I tell you how from phase one?" Father Time teased, clearly somehow amused by everything that had happened despite how negatively it sounded to impact him. If this _really were _his 'heart', shouldn't the guy be a bit more concerned for his well being and just tell the avian how to carry out this task as quickly as he could? Or was he really that much of a douche that he'd sit back and watch others struggle for amusement despite harming his own health.

"So wait, am I getting my do-over or not?" the blue jay asked impatiently, almost having forgotten the entire reason he'd come here in the first place. Father Time didn't answer, but only let out a long, deep and loud laugh.

"Of course not!" the clocked chuckled, "You clearly haven't learned anything from the last do-over you made. Why would I give you another?"

"But-"

"You should just try to fix all this personal junk with Rigby on your own." Father Time suggested, "Anyhow." the clock began, suddenly reaching out one of his long clock-tentacles, and wrapping it tightly around Mordecai's right wing, "You have this long." Father Time said, an incredible and unbearable pain then burning through the bird's arm, smoke even beginning to escape from the vice-grip that seemed to be burning through his flesh.

Mordecai let out a loud yell of pain, at the same time seeing visions of that same nightmare flash before his eyes as if it were all happening again. Tears began to pool in Mordecai's eyes, and once his arm was released, Mordecai pulled his wing towards his body for dear life and heeled over in pain. Father Time simply retracted his arm without the slightest bit of guilt from all the boy's pain.

Once the pain subsided after nothing but silence between the two and sobs from Mordecai, the bird worked up the courage to look at his wound. A bright '99:99' shone from underneath his feathers, as if the avian had a light within him. "That's how long you have to repair my heart." the clock stated, pointing towards Mordecai's arm.

That was only slightly over an hour and a half! "You can't expect me to fix it that quickly! Especially when you wont even tell me how to do it!" Mordecai barked.

"Now, now. Calm down; you're scaring the time pony." Father Time cooed, "You should thank me for being generous and not just killing you on the spot. You got a free watch out of this too! Just don't read it like an idiot." the clock grumbled, "It's meant to be read day/hour/minute/second, as opposed to that hour/minute/second crap you humans turned it into. The seconds will be represented in tens, as will the minutes, so it might look a little funky for a while, but you shouldn't really be focusing on how to read it this whole time; rather, be praying it doesn't his zero."

"So I have..." Mordecai thought, "Nine- _DAYS, _nine hours, ninety minutes and ninety seconds?"

"That _IS_ what I just said. Jeez, are you sure Rigby wasn't the only one to not pass high school?" Father Time laughed.

"Even if that's more than I thought..." the bird paused, "It doesn't seem like enough time with how difficult you're making this all out to be." Mordecai frowned.

"Then you better move quickly, huh?" the clock chuckled as a light began shining out from its center.

The avian merely rolled his eyes. "And what happens if I don't finish in time?"

"You can find out if you want." Father Time said with another laugh; light growing blindingly bright until nothing but bright white engulfed the bird's eyes. The light was growing hotter, and the longer he looked, the more his eyes burned and watered. Mordecai blinked, finding himself laying on the ground and looking up at the sun outside the house.

"Ugh, why couldn't I just get my do-over?" he groaned, covering his eyes with a wing, "And why did he put me _OUTSIDE_?"

The small, golden watch lay beside him, shining brightly in the sun. Mordecai rubbed his eyes tiredly, trying to adjust from going from such a dark room of space to the bright lighting outside. Perhaps he'd passed out or something, and it had all been just a dream. But the illuminated number on his wing said otherwise. '99:94' it read.

Let the fun begin.


	8. Fun and Games

Disclaimer: All characters used this story belong respectively to J.G. Quintel  
>Prerequisites: None c:<p>

* * *

><p>The blue jay picked himself up off of the ground, dazed about what had just happened. At times he just became confused, the line between reality and fantasy becoming hazy, disabling him to comprehend if what he was seeing was real or not. His back ached, slightly paining him when he bent over to retrieve the golden watch reflecting the bright rays of the sun from its resting place in the grass.<p>

He wanted to break it, feeling rage towards the device might have just doomed him, but knew that it was the only thing that could save him. The avian wasn't sure what to do now, but decided that only person who could really help with something like this was Skips. He made his way back to the yeti's residence, where said male remained fixated on his project as Mordecai had left him.

"Great idea, Skips!" The bird yelled angrily, throwing his arms up in the air. "Now I've got this curse thingy, and I have no idea how to get rid of it!"

"Hmm?" Was the yeti's response, who turned to face the pissed off avian. "What are you talking about?" The blue jay held out his arm to Skips, allowing him to see the bright ruby numbers than shone through Mordecai's feathers. "How'd you get this?"

"Father Time gave it to me."

"Why'd he do that?"

"He said I broke his heart or something," The explanation sounding a bit weirder than intended, getting a questionable look from the larger male. "Oh! I mean this watch! I broke this watch, he called it his heart." The bird said, holding out the trinket, which Skips took and examined.

"It's empty, is that why it's broken?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"What happened to the actual clock part?"

"I don't know exactly, I put it in the microwave like the last time that I went to get a do-over." The yeti continued to look over the pocket watch, eventually returning it to Mordecai before walking over and taking a seat on a nearby lawn chair.

"So, you have no idea how to fix it?"

"No, he wouldn't tell me."

"That's not very helpful..." Skips thought for a moment, and then suggested a solution. "Well, a lot of the time, the solution to the problem is also what got you into it in the first place."

"So..?"

"So think about why you're going through this."

"Because of my fight with Rigby?" The avian asked, beginning to understand.

"That would be my guess."

"He did say something about fixing my problems on my own..."

"See! I think you've found your solution. Just go make amends with Rigby, and we'll go from there."

"Right now..?" The blue jay questioned, beginning to shift uncomfortably.

"Well, from the looks of your arm, I would say the earlier you start, the better. What's wrong with going now? Don't you know where he is?"

"Yeah, but Margaret is probably still there," Skips stared at him blankly for a few moments, trying to understand his point.

"So?"

"Well, I told her that Benson needed me back at the park to do work."

"...So?"

"If I go back now, she'll know I lied!" The avian yelled, frustrated.

"Well, first off, maybe you should consider not lying," He began, getting up and once again returning to his work. "Putting that aside, I'm amazed that even when put in a situation such as this, you're still more concerned about your relationship with Margaret.

"We have no idea what will happen when that countdown hits zero, most people would be doing anything they could to find a solution." The bird stood there embarrassed, before starting to make his way back to the house. "And, Mordecai!" Skips called, earning the blue jay's attention. "Remember that you aren't the only person affected by this. You also have to take consideration to those around you, I'm sure Rigby isn't all that happy right now either!" The yeti then turned back to his work, and the conversation ended. Mordecai continued up the trail towards his shelter, absorbing everything that he had just been told.

The avian entered the house, consumed in the warmth that occupied the inside. His schedule was pretty much void of activity now, seeing as he had no work left to do, and no one to spend the day with. Mordecai headed upstairs, entering his room and safely tucking the pocket watch under his mattress; it then came to his attention that the game he had bought the previous day had been set on his bed. The bird was quite surprised, having completely forgotten about it due to the twists and turns of the unexpected events that occurred. Having spent majority of his pay on it, he figured he might as well play it. The blue jay didn't plan to wait for Rigby to come back and present it to him then, he wasn't even sure if _could _bring the mammal back.

He headed downstairs, game at hand, and made his way over to the area of which he and the raccoon played video games. Mordecai took out the cartridge from the case, noting the aromas of that 'new game' smell. The bird removed the current game from the station in order to place the new one, giving a look at the 'Dig Champs' game that he and Rigby loved so much before setting it down on the coffee table, and proceeding to turn on the device. The avian hit the power button on the television before plopping down on the couch, and taking hold of the player one controller. No one to put up an argument about it anymore. He lay there a few moments as the screen buzzed with static, then turning black.

–No data file detected–

-[ Create new file ]-

Mordecai hit the select button on his controller, and then waiting as the game began to start up.

–Proceed with creation of data file?–

-Yes-

-[ No ]-

The blue jay scrolled up to select the 'Yes' option, only to be greased by a similar message.

–Are you sure?–

-Yes-

-[ No ]-

"_What the heck_?_ YES_,_ I want to make a file_!"The bird thought, becoming irritated by the programs persistence. He mimicked the action he had previously made, selecting the 'Yes' option once more.

–Data extraction in progress–

–Please wait–

This was new to the bird. When playing Dig Chaps, all you really had to do was turn it on and select a character. All of a sudden, the controller released a high voltage shock, electrocuting the bird, who immediately threw the controller. He was breathing quickly now, his heart racing; looking over his body in search of any wounds.

"What the hell?" He screamed at the television, as if he would receive a response.

–Analyzing data–

–Please wait–

The bird remained in his spot, carefully watching the screen with fear. "_Why did it do that_?_ Maybe there was an electrical surge_..?"

He continued to try and apply a logical explanation in an attempt to remove blame from the game itself. However, as he saw a replica of himself form within the confines of the television, he realized that it _had_ been for a reason. He looked at the digital blue jay, noticing the features that mirrored his own. How was it possible for the game to recreate his appearance just through an electrical shock? While the situation scared him, he couldn't help but find it also incredibly interesting.

–Process complete–

–Please insert name–

He was then shown a matrix filled with letters as well as digits. He put in his name in after a seemingly endless amount of time in scrolling through the letters.

–MORDECAI–

–Is this name okay?–

-Yes-

-[ No ]-

Looking over the name to make sure all was well; he once again scrolled up and confirmed the name choice.

–Welcome MORDECAI–


	9. Strangers

Disclaimer: All characters used in this story belong respectively to J.G. Quintel.  
>Prerequisites: None c:<p>

* * *

><p>For the next few hours, Mordecai's eyes were glued to the screen. The game's graphics far surpassed that of any other that he had played before. Aside from the realism of the character having his exact appearance, the sounds and colors came together to create an authentic appearance. He wasn't really sure as to what he was supposed to do, having impatiently skipped through all of the dialogue, but he was getting by. The game took place in a town that had fallen to ruin upon the mass outbreak of a virus, causing all of its citizens to become zombified abominations of their past self.<p>

The player would find themselves as a survivor, immune to the toxic air, and a rebel against the onslaught of undead along with other remaining humans. Your goal was to find the source of the infection, and destroy it, thus reestablishing peace. Failure obviously resulted in all hope being lost, and any chance for curing the world crumbling. Added to that, you had to complete this task in a set amount of time; the irony. The plot really was anything but original, being incredibly similar to just about every single zombie movie the bird had ever seen. Still, the blue jay would be lying if he were to say he wasn't enjoying it.

As far as game-play went, it was very entertaining. However, difficulty seemed to be an entirely different story; it was profoundly difficult. Fighting off the hordes alone proved to be troubling, and it wasn't as if the NPC's assistance was all that helpful. The avian had to sadly admit that it would be much easier to accomplish with two players, rather than him alone. He set down his controller and let out a groan as he watched his digital-self get torn to shreds by the hands of the enemy. The joints of his fingers were sore, and his eyes ached. He stood up from his position on the couch, and stretched his muscles, then turned off the game and television. Searching for the time, he sighed, remembering how the disappearance of the clock from a while back. He walked upstairs, and throughout the hallways until he came upon a cuckoo-clock mounted on the wall. He removed it from its nail hanger, and made his way downstairs, and set the clock down atop the television where it would be easily visible. Analog clocks weren't his preference, but he'd have to make due. Carefully reading it, he found that it was somewhere around seven. He couldn't help but feel ashamed upon realizing that he had been distracting himself from the game for a good five hours. He looked at his wing, remembering what it was exactly that he was avoiding. He wished that if he were going to have this thing on his arm, it should at least tell him the current time as well.

"_Margaret should have left by now_,"He thought to himself, beginning to make his way to the front door. It was beginning to become dark outside, the sun setting beyond the cityscape. He left the house, realizing the sun wasn't the only thing dropping, the temperature was as well. He stopped for a minute, reconsidering whether to return inside in search for a jacket, or to try and find his way back to the amusement park before it became too dark. However, he would have to put these things aside for a while longer, as an approaching figure could be seen in the distance.

"Hey, Mordecai!" The voice called, in a deep, yet feminine tone. Squinting a bit while also nearing the form a bit more, he made it out to be Starla. He was taken aback by her sudden appearance. She wasn't exactly the person he wanted to see most right now, or ever for that matter.

"Starla?" He questioned, to which she approved with a nod, her brunette pigtails flopping as she did so. "Oh, hey," He greeted as she made her way up the wooden stairs of the porch. "What're you here for?"

"Have you seen Mitch?"

"Wh- Oh, Muscle Man? No, why?"  
>"I've been looking for him. He wasn't at his trailer, so I thought he might be here."<p>

"No, sorry. I don't know where he is." The bird said, beginning to distance himself from the woman and make his way down the stairs. Starla just gave a shrug, and entered the house, closing the door behind her. She is quite the mannerly young lady indeed. Deciding to ignore it, the bird ventured out of the park and into the town.

Cold breezes brushed against his exposed body, also sending leaves through the air. The pavement was once again freezing, and the bird couldn't help but stop and shiver every now and then. There were more people now than there had been for a while now passing the bird on the sidewalk, paying him no mind. He walked on the opposite side of the road from the coffee shop, its lights still illuminated. He passed it by briskly, not wanting an to encounter with the robin at the moment.

The avian continued to try and retrace his steps from earlier that day. It was actually proving to be difficult; having been a long trip from the coffee shop, as well as its somewhat remote location within the vast city. Surprisingly, the shy blue jay took no shame in asking for directions, and after a bit of questioning to local pedestrians, as well as walking around in circles, he found his way back to the amusement park. What a wasted effort though. Mordecai let out a loud yell of frustration upon reaching the large metal gates that were once again closed, padlock firmly chained around it. Noticing a nearby sign attached to a ticket booth, the avian read the bold print:

**SERVICE HOURS**

**12:00PM – 5:00PM **

He couldn't help but feel that maybe if he had left a bit faster, he would've made it in time to confront the raccoon. It was getting tiring not to be able to communicate with someone as close to him as Rigby. The blue jay still didn't understand everything that was going on, but it was becoming overwhelming. Such a little cause seemed to have such a large effect in this case, and he found it completely unfair.

It was now pitch black out, sidewalk lamps gleaming through the night. Stars shone down as the moon remained bright and proud from its position in the sky. It was peaceful; the city's volume beginning to lower as people returned to their homes, not wanting to get caught up in the bitter cold that was starting to sweep across the area. The bird was becoming a bit fearful about safely returning back to the park, being completely unfamiliar with this part of town. He took a few hesitant steps in the direction he thought would lead him back, only stopping dead in confusion. He couldn't see anyone nearby to ask for help either, the streets barren of anyone except for himself. However, scanning over the expanse of pavement, he found a silhouette within the illumination the lamps provided. Mordecai stood there, frozen as the figure turned towards his direction.

The blue jay had no idea whether to try and interact with them, or to distance himself from it as quickly as possible. He wanted to call out to it, seeing as how it was already aware of his presence, but the avian was unable to find the words. Its tail flicked around a bit before it... waved to him? It was almost beckoning for Mordecai to come closer, which he hesitantly did. The avian took a few steps towards it before the dark form turned and ran off.

"W-wait!" The blue jay blurted, picking up the pace to try and follow the creature that was quickly scampering though the streets. He followed it, taking turn after turn until he eventually lost track of its location. Stopping to catch his breath, Mordecai stood there gasping for breath; cold air almost burning him upon inhale.

"_What just happened_?"He questioned himself, trying to look for the stranger among his surroundings. "_And who was that_?"

The most shocking part was turning to find that he was outside the gates of the park; his park. The blue jay was astonished; did it do this on purpose? Or did he just find his way back in a stroke of luck? Deciding not to think about it too much, he made his way to the house. Entering, he found no trace of Starla or anyone on that note.

He went into the kitchen, seeing the remnants of dinner scattered here in there. The bird got himself some food before deciding to go to sleep. Mordecai walked through the house, turning off the lights and going to his room. He dropped onto his bed, rolling around in the covers until he found a comfortable position. Eyelids closed, and thoughts prospered as he drifted off into sleep. It had been a day of complete failure, having gotten absolutely nothing done the way he had wanted. No matter how hard he tried, at the end of the day, the avian had just caused more trouble for himself. Maybe he should just ignore it; let that timer hit zero. Or maybe there were things tying him to this world that were too important to let go of.


	10. Green Eyed Monster

Disclaimer: All characters used belong to J.G. Quintel... cept Allan . _. Sorta. I guess he's /my/ little douchebag.  
>Prerequisites: None c:<p>

* * *

><p>Eyelids opened, and reality returned. The bird squirmed in his bed, attempting to find a position to restore him to his rest. He'd give anything for more sleep; last night had been a monotonous pain. The sheer cold had constantly continued to reawaken him from his slumber throughout the evening. The thought of retrieving a spare blanket had been brought up several times, but he had been much too lethargic at the time to even consider getting up. He would just have to endure it until the morning. Of course, now he wished that he had. He took a glance at his clock before forcing himself up, and making his way over to the window; cold wood floor pricking at his feet. Lifting the blinds gave new vision to the dreary sky that waited outside. Clouds lazily floated in the sky, discoloring it from its natural blue, replacing it with gray. The avian took a finger, and rubbed the frost from the glass.<p>

"_The weather has been awfully bipolar lately_," Mordecai thought, taking in the view a bit longer before turning to make his way out of the room.

A nice, warm shower would be sure to wake him from his drowsy state. The stone tile floor of the bathroom was far more dreadful to stand on, so he turned on the water as quickly as possible, being sure to have the knob turned to as far on the 'H' side as it would go. Slipping past the curtain, the bird sat down in the tub, feeling the hot pellets of water impact against his feathered body. Time to think is just what the blue jay needed, and nothing seemed to help his train of thought more than the sound of water.

The avian was pretty proud of how considerably well he doing at dealing with all of this stress that seemed to piling him all at once. When he had realized that Rigby was gone, an unexplainable amount of remorse and grief was overwhelming him; although, as of right now, Mordecai was confident in his abilities to move on. Maybe replacing the raccoon would be easier than expected, but then again, maybe his friend was just testing his will. Rigby was bound to eventually return to his rightful place at the park anyhow. Someone as clingy as him wouldn't be able to just drop everything and leave, adaptation a seemingly impossible ability. Although, looking at his wing, none of that mattered. Regardless of how well he was doing, things were only going get worse if he didn't find the solution to Father Time's problem. The bird remained clueless as to how he was supposed to solve the dilemma, but decided to go along with Skips' proposal of fixing things himself. The blue jay had woken up around ten, give or take a few minutes, meaning that he had a good chunk of time before he even had access to the raccoon, his work hours proving to be an extreme inconvenience. Letting out a sigh, the bird took a bottle of shampoo and began to wash himself.

Once he was finished with all of his thinking and hygiene, the bird stepped out of the confines of the shower, and began to dry himself off with a towel. He did as best he could to fix his hair through the fogged up mirror, then exiting from the steamy bathroom and into the chilly hallway. On his way down stairs, the blue jay could smell the wonderful aroma of breakfast perfuming the house. Pops was already at the table, finishing off the rest of his waffles. Noticing the avian's appearance, he greeted him with a joyful, "Good morning, Mordecai!"

"Hey Pops, what's up?"

"Well, let's see. We have clouds, and balloons, and birds such as yourself!"

"…Yeah" The blue jay awkwardly agreed, deciding just to go along with it.

"I made some scrumptious blueberry waffles, would you fancy some?"

"Of course," Mordecai answered with a chuckle, making himself a plate, then taking an empty seat at the table. "So how's Benson? I haven't seen him in a while."

"He's been working with my father a lot more lately. They've been trying to get some financial paperwork filled out, as well as searching for some new help."

"New help?"

"Yes, I hope it doesn't offend you, but it's out of my hands honestly." The lolliman said with an apologetic look.

"No, I completely understand." Mordecai answered with a reassuring smile.

"He was awfully concerned last night though, seeing as how the gates to the park were left open. Benson was quite fearful of theft and vandalism, but it would appear that everything was fine." The blue jay thought back to last night; how he had chased that animal throughout the city, only to be returned to the park. It was still a mystery to him as to what had exactly happened, or for what purpose it posed.

"I dunno, sure saved my butt though, would've sucked to be locked out last night."

"Oh, that's right. You were taking a stroll last evening. I made sure to leave the house door unlocked on my way to bed. Although, when I did, the gates appeared to be closed. I was under the impression that you were still within the park."

"Yeah, I was in town, but that does sound pretty weird. They were just wide open when I got back," The bird said with a mouthful of food.

"Did you have business to attend to?"

"Yeah, I've been putting off this whole Rigby situation more than I should be."

"Well, you know what they say," Pops began, getting up from his spot to place his dirty dish into the sink. "Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday." The lolliman let out a giggle before leaving Mordecai to himself.

"I don't know anyone who says that..." He mumbled to himself, finishing up his food before following Pops' lead; laying his dirtied plate in the sink.

"Oh, Mordecai!" The other male called from the nearby room

"Yeah?" The blue jay asked, walking into the living room to find looking at the cuckoo clock placed atop the television. "Oh yeah, I hope you don't mind, kinda needed to borrow it so we have a clock in here."

"Oh not at all! It looks wonderful there!" Pops said, turning to reward the avian with a smile that quickly fell to a frown.

"What?" Mordecai questioned.

"Oh, goodness! What happened to your arm?" Crap. The bird had completely forgotten about concealing the countdown on his arm.

"Uh… I wrote on my arm with a marker, so I don't forget what time I need to go er- Visit Margaret!" The blue jay explained, his pitiful excuse for a lie sounding stupider out loud than it had in his head.

"But the numbers are changing," Pops pointed out.

"M- Magic! Magic markers!" Mordecai answered with a fake smile.

"Jolly good! You must share them with me some time!" The lolliman called out as the avian ran up the stairs and to his room. He went to his closet to find a garment to hide his wings. The bird was just lucky that it was Pops of all people, and not someone with a realistic perception. He came upon a plain red sweater, the one that he and Rigby had worn the time that they accidentally sent Skips to the moon. Mordecai couldn't help but grin in memory of all the chaos the duo had created together.

"_I really miss him_..." The avian thought with a frown before shaking his head."_I guess going to visit Margaret doesn't _have_ to be a lie_._ I can just say hi on my way_," Work could wait.

* * *

><p>The blue jay desperately grabbed at the door to the coffee shop, wanting to escape from the gruesome outside chill. Chiming of a bell was the first thing to greet him as always, and he began to search for an empty table. The shop was packed today, perfectly understandable that someone would crave a hot cup of coffee on a freezing day. Mordecai gave up on his expedition for a table, and just decided to go over to the counter where his robin friend was attending to a customer.<p>

"Okay! I'll have that for you right away!" She replied happily, then noticing the blue jay. "Oh, hey, Mordecai!" She greeted.

"H-Hey!" He stuttered, immediately becoming flustered upon receiving Margaret's attention.

"So, what do you want to order?"

"Actually, I was just passing by, and decided to come in and say hi," The avian explained. "So... hi." The robin let out a giggle. "Oh, and I'm sorry again for bailing on you yesterday..."

"Oh God, it was probably for the best," She reassured with a disdainful look.

"Huh? Why?"

"After you left, things just went downhill between me and Allan." Mordecai had completely forgot about Allan, what was he going to do about that problem too? Did he even pose a threat? Or was he just a clone of Mordecai, and nothing more?

"Oh, I'm so sorry..." The blue jay apologized. "_Maybe now's my chance_…" He thought, heart beginning to speed up with fearful anticipation. "Maybe... uh…"

"Hmm?" The robin tilted her head in confusion.

"Well, I know that you kinda just got out of a relationship and all, so you might not be ready at the moment, so you can feel free to say no, I promise it won't hurt my feelings or anything, but w-"

"Do you wanna date me?" The robin simply questioned with a smile while Mordecai tried to recover himself.

"Uh, yeah. So, do you want to..?" The avian's heart was racing, his mind was numb and hazy, the bird felt like throwing up.

"Sure!" Margaret replied cheerfully, leaving Mordecai to just freeze, wide-eyed with shock.

"_And this is the part where I wake up_..."He thought to himself, silently standing there waiting for such a thing to occur. Yet, nothing happened, and he remained in the coffee shop while Margaret patiently awaited some form of feedback.

"R- Really?" Mordecai exclaimed, earning himself a few looks while reaching to cover his mouth upon realizing how loud he was being.

"Yeah, I don't see why not."

"That's awesome!"

"Haha, so..."

"So..." The blue jay repeated stiffly.

"You free tomorrow, I guess?" Margaret asked in a hopeful tone.

"Uh- yeah, I guess."

"Cool, I'll just call you then?" The robin suggested holding up her cellphone.

"Yeah, thing is, I kinda lost my cellphone. I'm trying to not let Benson find out, he'd kill me."

"Oh, well, I guess I'll just call the park then?"

"Yeah, I'll be sure to check it from now on." Mordecai answered replied, shifting around uncomfortably and rubbing at the back of his neck.

"'Kay, great! I'll see you again tomorrow then, I guess." The robin stated, walking around from behind the counter with a tray of coffee that she skillfully balanced in one hand.

"Yeah, so bye!" The avian said, taking this opportunity to depart before he actually did puke, or embarrass himself more than he already had. He felt someone grab his arm on his way out of the shop, beginning to blush when he turned to face Margaret.

"By the way," She said with a grin. "You look handsome in red." The robin placed a kiss on the blue jay's cheek before continuing on her way to a table where a customer waits patiently for their beverage. Mordecai stood there frozen, shifting uncomfortable a bit as his body heated up. Even as he left and entered the frigid outside air, the warm, tingling sensation on his cheek remained.

* * *

><p>Walking around town, Mordecai felt like a king, striding proudly with the thoughts of his newly earned girlfriend. A blush was still plastered to his face, but he didn't care. Everything was right in the world, well, <em>almost<em> everything.

Finding his way back to the amusement park was much easier in broad daylight, although, the most difficult part was probably waiting outside for them to open, however, he wasn't the only one. Swarms of people began arriving outside the park, some faces recognizable to the blue jay. It was proving its popularity a lot more now than it had the previous day, appearing to attract a wide range of age groups. Massive lines began to form in front of the two ticket booths posted on each side of the parks entrance. Then, a thought came to mind.

"Damn it..." He muttered in frustration, having forgotten that he would require a ticket in order to enter. The bird had only been able to get in yesterday because of Allan and Margaret's relationship, a relationship that no longer lasted. Said 'raven' appeared at the front gates, beginning to unlock them while people cheered in approval, and began flooding in. Mordecai, however, began making his way in the opposite direction. There was no use, seeing as he hadn't thought of grabbing his wallet that morning, and had no money to spare on the ten dollar admission in the first place.

"Hey Mordecai!" The 'raven' called, running towards the bird waving.

"Oh, hey Allan..." Mordecai greeted weakly, ignoring the other male's request for a handshake.

"What's wrong? Why'd you show up if you aren't coming in?" The bird asked in confusion.

"Totally forgot to bring money," The blue jay said with a laugh.

"Were you actually going to do stuff, or did you just need to see someone?"

"I came to er-" The avian had no idea why it was so difficult to say this, "Talk to Rigby"

"What about?" The other male asked with a raised eyebrow and grin.

"Just stuff..."

"Listen," Allan started, placing a hand on Mordecai's shoulder. "I know you want him back, but he's doing just fine here." The blue jay flinched for a moment due to the physical contact before realizing that his sweater was preventing it. "What? Don't like it when I touch you?" He asked with a now sadistic grin. "Rigby does."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Oh, are we getting jealous?" Allan questioned slyly, his green eyes focused on Mordecai's in an unbreakable gaze. The blue jay just turned, and walked off, leaving the 'raven.'

"What the fuck?" Mordecai growled to himself, utterly enraged by the situation. He wasn't jealous...was he? No. What was there to be jealous of anyways? There was no way that Rigby would even consider letting another guy touch him, and get that kind of enjoyment out of it. Although, Allan had definitely said it with the intention of causing envy; but why would he be jealous of something... like that?

It was a long walk home, Allan's voice echoing through his head, pestering his mind. He let out a heavy sigh as he made his way up the stairs of the house. He had given up so easily, and again accomplished nothing, and at what cost? He may have managed to take Margaret and his' relationship a step further, and it was definitely worth it.

Mordecai was hesitant about opening the door; the fear of an angry Benson assaulting him with words about how he ditched work to go and 'slack off.' Either way, he was going to have to face the music. The bird opened the door, and froze. While the gumball machine was there, another familiar stranger was alongside him. And upon recognition of the otter, Mordecai could only act, not think, and tackled Doug to the ground.


	11. In with the New

Disclaimer: All characters used belong to J.G. Quintel. If you don't know who that is by now, get your ass out of my story.  
>Prerequisites: Full understanding all concepts of this chapter will require having seen: S2E27, "Temp Check"<p>

* * *

><p>The blue jay collided with the smaller otter, sending both of them to the floor, straddling the mammal's body while holding down his arms.<p>

"What the hell are you doing Mordecai? Get off of him!" Benson screamed in shock and anger.

"What are you saying? Do you not remember what he did?"

"Get off of him **NOW**!" The gumball machine yelled, his face becoming a bright crimson. The blue jay stubbornly got up and off of the smaller male, refusing to break the dirty glare between him and his boss.

"Benson," The avian began again. "Why is he here?"

"He's here for a job."

"And did you give it to him?" Mordecai asked, pointing at Doug who was just awkwardly standing to the side with an embarrassed look on his face. The otter tilted his hat so that the visor obscured his face from sight; allowing him to feel a bit more secure in the tension.

"Of course I did. We were down one man, so we needed to hire another. Plus he's already had experience working here, and I can promise you he did a lot better than you or Rigby."

"Do you not remember the part where he tried to _replace_ Rigby?"

"I do," Benson stated plainly, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms. "But isn't that exactly what we need?" The bird could only stand there staring at the gumball machine, eyes wide and jaw dropped.

"Why do we need to _replace_ him?"

"Well, seeing as how he's no longer working here..." Benson answered in a smart tone. The avian remained, his face unchanging as he waited for an answer. His boss just let out a sigh. "We're going into bankruptcy; we need as much help around here as we can get right now."

"What?"

"Mr. Maellard has been working very hard lately on stack after stack of paperwork; our financial status has been plummeting."

"Wait, why?" Mordecai asked in confusion.

"We haven't been making enough money to satisfy the expenses needed to keep the business of the park thriving."

"But... Mr. Maellard is a billionaire. Why does he need money? The gumball machine pinched his nose in aggravation, letting out another stressful sigh, and the returning his eyes to the bird.

"Yes, he has a lot of money, but this park is _where_ he gets that money. We've been lacking in visitors, so at this point, he's just losing more to keep this place open than he is making."

"Losing it on what?"

"Workers like you and me," Benson said in a serious voice. "So, unless you want that to change, you best be okay with this. He has spent majority of his life on this park, he isn't going to give it up so easily. Also, how do you think Pops would react to it? Having spent his entire life here, I doubt he'd be able to adapt well." The gumball machine explained. The room was quiet for a while, Skips appeared as if he hadn't moved, or even blinked this entire time. Doug was just shifting around uncomfortably while fiddling with his tale every now and then, anything to avoid eye contact.

"Can't we just call Don or someone over to help?"

"An audit and bankruptcy aren't the same thing, you idiot, you should know that." Benson scolded. "And anyhow, do you really think that he'll want to help us after you ran his brother out of this park?" The blue jay tried to think of something to answer with, but remained quiet. There truly wasn't anything that could be done.

"_How can Benson be okay with this though_?_ Replacing Rigby so easily_,_ he needs to have more damn empathy_,"The avian thought to himself, then realizing what he was doing. Earlier that day, he had thought to himself about how strong he was doing without the raccoon, yet here he was; utterly devastated when it came time to replace the mammal. Why had it been so easy to just shrug it off earlier that day when he had been talking to Pops?

"I don't have time for this." Benson spat, making his way for the door. "Oh, by the way, real nice of you to ditch work." The avian could only stand there quietly. "Go do your job, and don't lay a finger on Doug. If I find out that you did, so help me I'll hire someone to take _your_ place," The gumball machine slammed the door on his way out of the house, leaving the remaining few inside in a deep silence.

"Well, I'm leaving." Skips said plainly, following Benson's lead and exiting. The blue jay was now left alone with the otter, who continued shyly remain quiet.

"Don't think that you can actually replace him," Mordecai said, heading towards the kitchen to get his list of things to do.

"I didn't mean to offend you..." Doug said, cautiously following the avian into the other room. "We got along just fine last time..."

"Whatever," Mordecai grumbled, crumbling this list in his hand. The blue jay figured that if he ignored the problem, maybe it would just go away.

* * *

><p>For the next several hours, the bird worked hard outside in the cold, his sweater proving to be of no true help after a while. Doug assisted the avian with his chores, even though Mordecai had not asked for help. While one would take this a kind gesture, the blue jay couldn't accept it as well; he was definitely taking the raccoon's replacement a lot harder than he had been earlier, so the otter's help was only frustrating to him. Although, he held back, and refused to say anything about it. So, the two just worked through the rest of the day in an endless silence, both refusing to say a word to the other; Mordecai out of refrain, and Doug out of fear. By the time their work was finished, they both let out a tired yawn before going back to the house to join Pops for dinner.<p>

"I'm so overjoyed to have you back at the park, Doug!" Pops said giddily, giving a friendly smile at the otter, who was eating his second serving of food. "I'm glad you like the food too, I made it myself!"

"Yeah, it's amazing, definitely better than prison food." He said with a chuckle.

"I imagine it was quite the unpleasant experience, however did you get out?"

"Yeah, how _did_ you get out?" Mordecai cut in, looking intently on the mammal. Doug sat there quietly, pushing his food around on his plate as the other two patiently awaited a response.

"Good behavior I guess," The otter responded with a fake smile.

"Ah yes, manners _will_ get you far in life," The lolliman said, returning a the smile. The blue jay just sat there, gaze still focused on Doug; he wasn't buying it.

Once dinner was over, Pops took his leave, and the two were alone again. Doug had offered to wash the dirty dishes which he accomplished rather quickly. He then made his way up to the second floor, and knocked on the door to the bird's room. Mordecai soon opened the door, and peered out at the otter.

"What?" He asked in confusion.

"Er... where should I sleep?"

"Dunno." The blue jay stated, closing the door again, and leaving Doug in the dark hallway. The mammal made his way downstairs once more, and laid down on the couch. He didn't even bother going to ask for a blanket, ensuring to himself that his clothes would be enough to keep him warm.

Meanwhile, Mordecai lay in his bed, dully looking out the window where dim moonlight shine through. He couldn't seem to get a break, as soon as something good happened, something bad always followed. Things always turned out to be much more difficult than he had expected as well; he couldn't even manage talking to Rigby.

"What did he mean..?" The blue jay muttered to himself as he thought back to what Allan had said earlier that day. Was the raccoon doing perfectly fine without him..? This entire time, he had thought that the striped mammal had completely depended upon him, yet, he was able to move on so easily. He dug his hand in between his mattress, and fished out the pocket watch that was nestled beneath.

"And then there's _this_ problem..." He grumbled, the empty watching shining in the outside light. The bird pulled back the sleeve of his sweater to look at the ruby numbers that shone beneath.

'8:13:21:39'

'8:13:21:38'

'8:13:21:37'

...


	12. Spite and Sympathy

Disclaimer: I don't own Regular Show, J.G. Quintel does. ASDFG *I guess the language in this chapter is a little bit harsher than in previous ones. There's also a tad bit of violence. I don't want to catch you guys off guard with it or anything, so just a heads up.  
>Prerequisites: Fully understanding all concepts of this chapter will require having seen: S2E27, "Temp Check"<p>

* * *

><p>Suddenly becoming aware of his surroundings, the bird found himself once again in an endless expanse of black. A bright orb of light burned high above, weakly illuminating the domain. He looked around, in search of anyone or anything in the void space.<p>

"This again..?" Mordecai muttered to himself, recollections of the previous encounter he had with this world arising. Faint lights gleamed from the broken shards of a mirror that lay helplessly scattered across the area; the avian bent down, picking up one of the pieces and inspecting it, becoming greatly confused when he couldn't find himself within the reflection. He decided to drop it, the fragment hitting the ground with a sharp piercing sound that echoed through the emptiness. Continuing on his way, the blue jay began to head onward, continuing his search.

"_What was it that happened last time..?_"The bird thought, attempting to force his memory back further.

"_Something about..._"Mordecai caught a glimpse of his forearm, the bright countdown faintly shining through the darkness. The avian could remember now, his conversation with the strange Rigby clone that had run away from his, eventually becoming a cloud of numerical dust.

"Wait..." He mumbled to himself, "I remember that dream... and I'm aware that I'm currently in a dream. So, shouldn't I wake up right about now..? Or does that mean I have control..?" The blue jay clamped his eyes closed tightly; focusing on a dream he _wanted _to be in. Unfortunately, nothing but disappointment was received upon his eyes becoming engulfed once again in the black.

"Ugh, what the hell am I here f-" Mordecai was unable to finish his sentence, immediately chocking on his words as he tripped and fell forward. He crashed onto the ground, letting out a few curses under his breath before picking himself back up.

"What the-" And again, the avian was unable to finish. For before him laid the dead corpse of his friend Eileen. She lay motionless on the ground in a pool of crimson blood the leaked from a wound in her abdomen. The blood stained the dirty, gray looking dress that she was wearing.

"What the hell happened to Eileen?" He let out; even as a dream, the situation scared him. Although, taking his eyes away from the small mole's body, Mordecai found that she was not the only one. Margaret also lay collapsed on the ground, gashes and cuts exposed in the patches where feathers had been torn out. Chest lacking in movement, it was obvious that she experienced the same fate as her smaller companion. The sight made him want to heave; the sight of the woman he loves lifeless, massacred form tying his stomach in knots.

"_Rigby__,_"Was the only thought he could process, immediately looking all around him for a dead raccoon. Instead, the blue jay found nothing, only the mole and robin who lay in scattered mosaic of mirror shrapnel. Then, a sharp sound break through the quiet, scaring the avian, and causing him to turn and see exactly the mammal he was searching for. Rigby had stepped onto one of the shards, sharp pieces sticking up into his foot. A thick, black liquid flowed from the wound, pouring out onto the floor. Mordecai flinched at the other male's injury, preparing his eardrums for the shriek of pain that he was sure would be let out by the raccoon, but, nothing. The mammal didn't show any sign of hurt, or even move from his fixed stare on the ground. It wasn't that he had accidentally stepped there, rather, it was almost as if he were apathetic to avert his step. The two didn't move, and nothing was said. After a few moments, Rigby continued his way in the bird's direction.

"R- Rigby? Are you okay bro?" He asked, beginning to hesitantly back away from the other male. Upon hearing the avian's voice, the raccoon stopped, and looked up at Mordecai. His eyes were dull; face emotionless. He let out a scoff while he lifted up his foot to dig out the glass splinter.

"What do you care?"

"Huh? What do you mean? You got hurt..." The blue jay answered, approaching the small mammal.

"So? I get hurt a lot," He mumbled, slowly removing the shard and causing Mordecai to cringe.

"What do you mean by that?" The taller male asked in curiosity. Sure, the two had their fair share of painful injuries in the many misadventures that they embarked on during their many years at the park, but the way he said it...

"And I always just hold it in..." The raccoon continued, examining the mirror in his hand; opalescent blood shining under the light that radiated from above. It coated his fur, matting it down with its oil-like slick. He dropped the glass which hit the ground with a 'clink' before silence once again returned.

"...Why do you hold it in?"

"Because nobody cares."

"Dude, I care." The bird corrected, kneeling down to Rigby's level and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Then why do you cause it..?" The blue jay was shocked upon hearing the response. He had never truly thought about it, but he did tend to physically abuse the smaller male at times. Resorting to violence was an unhealthy habit of his, but he had never really taken Rigby's pain into perspective as much as he was now.

"Oh, yeah..." The avian started, rubbing his neck. "Sorry for hitting you so much in the past. I guess I never really thought about it as that much of a problem seeing as how you 'held it in.'"

"It's not just that..." He said, removing Mordecai's wing and turning toward Margaret. "My chest... hurts a lot. Every time you talk about her, it's like you completely forget about me."

"Sorry, but I like her and all, so I can't really help it..."

"WELL SHE'S DEAD NOW!" The raccoon screamed angrily, shoving the bird backwards onto his rear. "HOW CAN YOU STILL LIKE HER WHEN SHE'S DEAD?" Rigby asked, pointing at the robin's dead body. Mordecai found himself unable to say anything to his enraged friend.

"Because this isn't real!" He yelled back, starting to pick himself up; only to have the mammal tackle him back on the ground. "Dude, what the hell is your probl-" The blue jay stopped, was Rigby... hugging him? The raccoon was sobbing into the other male's feathery chest, letting out muffled cries.

"_What... am I supposed to do about this?_" The bird thought sorrily to himself, cautiously placing an arm around the smaller male; returning the hug. They remained that way for what seemed like an eternity before the mammal's tears ceased, and he looked up at his blue friend with a frown. Rigby got out of his friend's lap, and crawled away. Mordecai stood up and trailed behind him.

"What?" The avian asked in confusion, leaning over the smaller male to see if everything was alright.

"I hope you're feeling some of the pain that you've put me through." He spat, taking a hold on the mirror fragment, then swiftly spinning around and slitting his friend's neck.

Mordecai's eyes bust open in shock as he returned to reality.

"Err... are you okay?" A voice asked, causing the blue jay to jump. He quickly turned to look at Doug in his usual attire, giving him a concerned look. The bird rubbed his eyes, a bit of aggravation arising within him at the otter's sudden appearance.

"Why are you in here?" The bird groaned groggily, sitting up in the bed.

"Oh, I don't really know what to d-"

"Benson should have left you a list of things to do," The taller male said, getting up out of the bad and stretching. "It hasn't changed that much since the last time you were here."

"It's not that..." The otter said, taking a hold of the other male and pulling him towards the window. Tugging back the curtains, and pulling up the blinds, revealing a fogged up window. Mordecai rubbed the glass, exposing a barren white landscape.

"Is that..?"

"Snow. Fifty-seven inches of it..." Doug answered, walking out of the room. The bird stood there confused for a few seconds before following the otter; heading downstairs. He saw that the windows barely let in any light, the snow outside piling up outside of it. "Benson left a message on the phone," he called to Mordecai from the kitchen. "He says that he still wants us to do work."

"What are we supposed to do if we're stuck inside the house..?"

"I guess we're supposed to clean or something?" The avian let out a chuckle.

"I think we'll be fine with doing nothing."

"But Benson said..."

"Benson really isn't in the position to fire either one of us right now." Mordecai reassured, walking into the other room to find Doug beginning to prepare breakfast. "He needs as much help as he can get around here..."

"Yeah, I guess." The otter said, removing a carton of eggs from the refrigerator and getting a frying pan from the cupboard. "Oh, you don't mind egg do you..?"

"Nah, had to eat a butt-load trying to get a hat for Rigby once..." The avian said with a chuckle. "I guess you could think of it as mammals like you eating hamburger."

"Oh," Doug said, chuckling back. "Guess I never really thought about it like that..."

"So, did you get any other calls?" Mordecai asked curiously.

"I dunno, you could go check if you want." The blue jay walked into the living room and went back up the stairs. Going down the long, narrow hallway, he stopped outside the doorway to the office. Pops was at the desk, scribing something on paper.

"Hey Pops," Mordecai greeted, walking inside the room and over to the lolliman. "Doing some work?"

"Oh yes! I've got some paperwork that needs filling out," He explained, pointing to the document with a colorful crayon drawing on it.

"Hmm, I see. Do you know if we got any calls?" The bird asked, gesturing to the black telephone on the large desk.

"No messages, but Margaret did call earlier to request speaking with you."

"Oh, what did she say?"

"She just wanted to give her humblest apologies for the unfortunate luck of the weather. A whopping 144 centimeters! Can you believe it?" Pops yelled gleefully with childish delight.

"Yeah..." The blue jay said with a sigh, beginning to make his way back out of the office. "Well, thanks!"

"Oh anytime! I'll be sure to make my way downstairs to join you and Doug as soon as I finish my work!" Mordecai could smell the delicious fragrance of the otter's cooking while going back downstairs. He poked his head in through the door to see the mammal hard at work.

"_I still don't understand what he's trying to do._"The blue jay thought to himself, "_Last time he was here, we put him in jail. And what was with that answer when I asked him how he got out so early__?_"The bird was starting to feel as if he had been too hard on the otter the previous day; Doug had been nothing but friendly to him from the moment he got here. What the avian wanted to know was why? Was there a reason behind all of these actions in a pursuit to deceive, and gain trust? Or did he really just want to be nice..?

"It's ready if you want some..." Doug said, causing Mordecai to realize that the otter acknowledged him.

"Okay, cool," The bird answered with a false smile, taking a seat at the table, hoping that the other male hadn't thought of him as spying. The mammal brought the blue jay over a plate fixed with eggs, sausage, and pancakes, giving him a warm smile in the process. This time, Mordecai gave him a real one in exchange.

"Thanks."

* * *

><p>Pops had come down later, joining them as the two were finishing up. They all talked and clearly expressed their joy for the others company; all of them. This time, Mordecai wasn't sitting there, eying the otter, but rather, treating him as a friend.<p>

"You're quite the culinary master!" Pops complimented.

"Heh, it's nothing really," Doug replied humbly. "So, what do we plan on doing for the rest of the day?"

"I guess we could just play video games or something." The bird replied without much thought.

"I wonder if Skips would want to join us..." The lolliman said, triggering a thought in the blue jay's head.

"Crap." The avian let out, "I completely forgot about Skips. Is he okay?"

"Yes, he called earlier as well, saying that much like us, he was also trapped in his house."

"So I guess we'll just be waiting for it to melt over the next few days?" The otter asked.

The trio let out a sigh at how they were helplessly trapped within the house, with nothing to do about it. Mordecai would take it the hardest, understanding that he could only stay there and wait as the countdown continued.

Once they were all finished, they went into the living room and sat on the couch. Mordecai started up the game system, taking a controller and offering one to both Doug and Pops.

"There's only two," He stated.

"It's fine," The otter reassured. "I just want to watch."

"You sure?" The blue jay asked, to which the mammal answered with a nod. The title screen came up as always, and the bird scrolled down to his file while Pops looked over the controller with bewilderment.

"Don't worry," The avian chuckled. "You'll learn along the way."

Checking data file...

-Welcome MORDECAI-

Mordecai hit the accept button, causing the game to emit a few odd noises before another screen came up.

-ERROR-

-Player 2 unrecognizable-

-Create new file?-

-Yes-

-[ No ]-

"Is that me?" Pops yelled, overjoyed for some reason. The bird nodded, and the lolliman moved up; selecting the 'Yes' option.

-Data extraction in process-

-Please wait-

And that's when it hit him.

"Oh shit, I forgot" Mordecai said, reaching to take the controller out of Pops' hands. Volts of electricity were projected into the lolliman, causing him to flail about as the electrical currents ran through him. He let out a cry as tears began pooling in his eyes from the unexpected pain. The blue jay could only give him a weak 'I'm sorry' look before giving him a pat on the back.

"Ow..." He whined, looking at the controller that delivered the agony. "That's not a very fun game..."

"Dude, I completely forgot. It did that to me the first time I played too."

"You continued to play a game after it shocks you?" Doug asked humorously.

"Yeah, aside from that, it's really fun."

-Analyzing data-

-Please wait-

The three waited patiently as the game continued letting out odd noises. A small recreation of Pops appeared on the screen, immediately causing all signs of discomfort to disappear from the lolliman. In fact, he let out a giggle of delight.

"It's a little me!" He squealed happily, clapping his hands. "Jolly good show." The bird was surprised at how quickly the male had gotten over the whole situation, but decided to take the opportunity handed to him.

-Process complete-

-Please insert name-

Pops scrolled through, selecting the letters and spelling his name proudly. It was like watching a child who so happily showed their newly learned skill of spelling.

-POPS-

-Is this name okay?-

-Yes-

-[ No ]-

"It most certainly is!" The lolliman replied to the game, once again selecting the 'Yes' option; causing the game to begin.

* * *

><p>Pops and Mordecai played through the game for a few hours, Doug just sitting by and quietly watching in amazement. The lolliman seemed to be enjoying himself a lot, learning how to play rather quickly. It was just his ethics of playing that caused the bird distress. Rather than trying to follow the main goal of the game; thus killing enemies in the process, Pops insisted on trying to become friends with the computerized zombies. Mordecai didn't protest, remembering that this was more about enjoyment rather than winning. Although, him and Doug did have their fair share of laughs at the male's friendly antics. An unexpected, loud knock was heard, making everyone stop what they were doing and turn to look at the door. It bust open, exposing a large white yeti dressed in winter attire and equip with a large snow shovel.<p>

"Skips!" They all greeted as he walked into the house, leaving a few wet footprints from his large rubber snow boots.

"Hey," He replied in his deep monotone voice.

"Did you dig through all that snow, all the way here?" The bird questioned with an impressed look on his face. Skips gave a grunt before turning to the door and taking a step outside.

"I just came by to make sure everyone was okay. Benson asked me to keep an eye on you; make sure you don't harm Doug since he's not here."

"We're on good terms now." The otter said with a smile.

"I was going to head out to a grocery store, we're going to need to stockpile on food. Seeing as how they're forecasting even more snow, I'm guessing we'll be stuck inside awhile."

"Oh! Can I come with you?" Pops pleaded, giving the yeti a hopeful look. Skips gave another grunt. "Yay! I'll go get my jacket!" The lolliman exclaimed, setting down his game controller and running upstairs.

"What store will be open with all this snow?" Mordecai asked; confused.

"I was planning on taking Pops' car and heading out of town. It can't possibly be like this everywhere after all." Pops ran back down with a heavy winter jacket on. "I trust it'll be okay to leave you two alone? If not, speak up."

"We're good," The two responded. Skips and Pops then left, closing the door and cutting off the chilling draft.

"I'm guessing you're not all that interested in playing after that incident with Pops..." Mordecai said, gesturing to the controller on the couch next to him.

"Yeah, I'll pass," He said with a smile. "But thanks for the offer."

"I can understand that. It cost me a lot of money, so I play just so that cash didn't do to waste."

"How much did you spend?" The otter asked.

"Fifty bucks." The bird responded with a sigh.

"Why spend so much?"

"Well, it was originally a gift for Rigby, but he's kinda... not here..." The avian said, feeling a little sadness flow through him.

"About that..." Doug started. "What... well, what happ- Oh, you don't mind if I ask right?"

"No it's fine" Mordecai said with a chuckle. He explained the short fight to the other male, how the simple suggestion of going to the coffee shop had turned into a verbal brawl over Margaret's dignity, as well as his own. The bird disdainfully repeated the words that he had said that day before leaving his friend alone, and ultimately creating his own state of loneliness. After he was finished, the otter sat there quietly and took it all in. It was quiet once more in the house, ticking from within the cuckoo-clock rested on the television filling the silence. "So yeah, I mean. I know what I said was wrong and cruel, but I don't know why he left over it."

"Yeah, I don't have any idea either." Doug agreed

"I don't understand why he always has to say bad stuff about Margaret either. She never does anything to him, and he knows I like her, so I wish he would just... go easy on her, I guess." The avian finished, explaining his reasons behind the argument.

"I kind of understand that part..." The otter mumbled, tilting his red hat down to cover his face.

"Understand what..?"

"Well, I can kind of understand why he dislikes Margaret. I mean, she's not doing anything to him. At least on purpose, I think."

"Like..?" The blue jay questioned.

"I think he's just jealous of her, and that affects his perspective on her." The mammal explained.

"Jealous of what?"

"The attention you give her, I'm sure you know just how childish he can be, I think he just doesn't want to share you with Margaret."

"Oh yeah, I knew that much," Mordecai said with a laugh. "But that's kind of my point. I wish he wouldn't be so clingy. I like hanging out with other people too. I was thinking that maybe if he and Eileen got closer, he start loosening his grip on me."

"No. I think it's more on different terms." The avian just gave him an odd look. "I think on the simplest terms to describe this, Rigby is jealous of Margaret..." Doug stopped himself, looking at the bird eagerly awaiting a response. He could possibly destroy a relationship if he continued, or fix one. The otter had the opportunity to show Mordecai what he had been blind to for so long, to share his gained knowledge from the last encounter he had with Rigby.

"Because?"

"Heh." Doug chuckled with a sad smile, "I guess I don't really know."


	13. Innermost Fears

Disclaimer: Regular Show and all of its characters belong to J.G. Quintel  
>Fully understanding all concepts in this chapter will require having seen: S2E27, "Temp Check"<p>

* * *

><p>"Come on dude, you can tell me." Mordecai said with a friendly smile to Doug who just sat only the couch quietly. He shouldn't have said anything, nothing but trouble was going to come out of this. It was truly a moment of weakness; of urge to share a secret with the oblivious blue jay. Although, the otter came to realize that it wasn't his secret to give away.<p>

"You said... you wanted for him to loosen his grip..."

"Well, yeah. It would probably be better for the two of us if we distanced ourselves a little bit."

"But is that what you want?" Doug asked, earning a look of confusion from the other male. "What a person wants doesn't always have to be what's best for them. Do you really want Rigby to let go..?" The avian sat there quietly, analyzing the mammal's words. What he was asking for was more time to himself, yet over the past few days, being alone was what he dreaded most.

"Not... completely," The bird answered.

"I _know_ he wouldn't want you to either."

"Yeah," Mordecai chuckled weakly. "I guess so."

"So you wont... right?

"Rigby's been my friend as far as I can remember, and it'll always be that way." The blue jay answered confidently. "So no matter what you were going to tell me, I wont think any differently of him." The otter didn't say anything, it could be easily told from the look on his face that he was pondering his decision. Mordecai was thinking out all the possibilities in his head, and how they would affect his outlook on the raccoon. All he could ponder was the chance of his small striped friend secretly harboring unrequited emotions for a certain robin.

"Well... okay. I'm positive you remember the last time I was here, and how I kinda..."

"Tried to replace Rigby?" The bird finished with a smug grin.

"Heh, yeah. Well the process of shape-shifting is rather elaborate, so I wont go into much detail, but basically everything is changed to be congruent to the original..."

"Okay..? That means..?"

"Well, that includes things like the brain. I know it's probably hard to comprehend two brains being exactly the same- well, not _exactly _the same, I have to keep mine too after all."

"I guess I understand it."

"So in order to become Rigby, I had to think like him too. Thus by copying his mind, I gain all of his thoughts and memories."

"How exactly do you do all this..?" The avian questioned.

"It's just something I can do..."

"This is how you knew everything about him, right? When we were asking you two questions to figure out who was the real one?"

"Yeah."

"But... If you knew everything that Rigby did... why did you hug me? Shouldn't you have known that would've given it away?" Doug slid off of the couch, and began to distance himself from Mordecai. He wasn't sure when he would end up letting the cat out of the bag, but he knew it'd be soon.

"Well, you become so much alike them that you... start to feel like them too."

"Like, emotion wise?"

"Yeah..." There was an awkward silence as the two just looked at each other. The otter could clearly tell from Mordecai's expression that he had no idea where this was heading; sparking frustration and a great urge for a face-palm. "All I can remember was this overwhelming craving for physical contact with you."

"Wait, what?" The bird yelled, the other male just swaying shyly. "So, you like me... in that way?"

"No! It wasn't a part of _me _that liked you." The mammal said with a sigh. Damn, it was like trying to explain calculus to a newborn. "It was the Rigby 'part.'" The room returned to being void of sound. Doug was just anxiously anticipating what would happen. Hopefully the blue jay was intelligent enough so as to not forcing him to elaborate any further, but...

"So you're saying Rigby likes me, right? Like more than just bros and stuff?"

"Like the way you feel about that Margaret girl, yes." The bird started to laugh, even the thought of that was ridiculous. Doug remained still, refusing to change his facial expression to show signs of his seriousness. When the avian settled down from his fit of chuckles, he took a few moment's to look at the otter, and his stomach sank.

"You... aren't kidding. Are you?"

"Well, I mean, it's not one-hundred percent," The mammal assured, trying to calm the rising level of the uncomfortable atmosphere. "But I'd say it's pretty accurate."

"_Rigby_..._ liking me_?_ He's kidding_,_ right_?_ He has to be kidding_,_ but why_?" His mind was overloading with questions; leaving him with a migraine from the dissatisfaction of his brain.

"Prove it," Was all Mordecai could come say. He wanted any form of proof that this absurd accusation could be the slightest bit true. Rigby's actions were really no more than that of a clingy child, they couldn't have possibly have had emotions tied to them.

"I don't really know if I can _prove _it..."

"Well, how do you know?"

"I don't _know _for sure either!" Neither one of the males was getting any further with this conversation than they had hoped.

"Well, do you believe it..?"

"I probably wouldn't have told you if I didn't think so."

"_There was no way_, _simply no way that his childhood friend has been in love with him_._ But_..._ if he did_..._ for how long_?_ And _wh-?"Now he was just asking too many questions.

"Well, there's always his brother, Don. I remember him feeling some kind of envy towards him, but mainly because you preferred him."

"I never preferredhim... Don's just... better." Mordecai explained. "And it's not like I was the only one. A lot of people put Rigby second to Don."

"He's never shown any interest in that Eileen either..."

"_No_..."

"Just because he doesn't like one girl, doesn't mean that he's gay!" The bird yelled, getting up from the couch.

"I never said he was _gay_!" Doug justified. "I'm just saying that he probably isn't interested in her because he likes someone else."

"_No_."

"And why does that someone have to be me? It could just as easily be Margaret!"

"Honestly, between the two of you, which one would be more likely to get her?"

"I already have her..." Mordecai spat, glaring at the otter. Doug let out a groan, rubbing at his brow with the palm of his hand.

"Listen," The mammal started softly. "You don't have to believe me, but I know what I felt when I was Rigby."

"Well, maybe you're the one who's fucking gay then!" The blue jay was huffing for some reason, heart racing. Waves of heat ran through him; he could feel the chill of sweat droplets forming underneath his feathers. He was so pissed off. Who was he to come in and act like he knew the raccoon better than him?

"_I've been friends with Rigby a lot longer_..._" _Mordecai reassured to himself, "_I think I would know if he felt that w_-_ but wait_. _When he said he gave up_... _was it_-_ No_."

"No," Was all the bird could let out, balling his fists as the tears began to build up in his eyes. When they began to stream down his face, he quickly wiped them away with his wing, and turned to run upstairs. Doug stood there, looking down at the ground in disappointment. What did he just do..? The sound of the upstairs bathroom door slamming pierced through the eerie silence, causing the otter to jump. The blue jay ran over to the shower, pulled back the curtain, and turned on the water.

"_No_..." He thought, sitting on the toilet lid, pulling his legs into his chest. The bird sat there, quietly sobbing while listening to the sound of the running water. He couldn't handle the idea of Rigby being like _that_. Did anyone else think-? The avian stood up and walked over to the sink, leaning over it. He looked deeply into the mirror above it, into his own eyes that shook with blurry vision.

"No..." He muttered to himself. "We're bros... just bros." At this point, the blue jay was becoming confused of his own sexuality. If Rigby were gay, did this affect him at all? Was he gay too from just associating himself with the raccoon? No... things don't work like that. Besides, he was positive that he had feelings for Margaret. But... if he and Rigby did... do stuff, would he like it? He had known the raccoon for a really long time. What would it feel like? To have the small raccoon beneath him, helplessly pinned to the mattress. He could practically hear the mammal moaning his name through heated gasps for breath as the bird thrust in a fluid rhythm. The sound from the shower became fuzzy, and his head became hazy. The thoughts he was having were so... wrong. Wrong. His eyes shot wide open, looking into the mirror, and back at himself.

"_NO_!" He screamed, slamming his fist into the mirror, shattering it into hundreds of pieced. He could feel slivers of glass sliding easily through his skin, and sinking down into his flesh. Mordecai let out a gasp of pain, pulling his fist to his body immediately after the action. Blood rose up through his feathers, tinting them purple. The bird ran over to the toilet, grabbing the roll of toilet paper and wrapping it around his wound. It stung intensely; as if the shards were of ice, burning him with frigid chill.

"Mordecai!" Doug called from outside. "Are you okay?" The bird walked over to the door, opening the door with his good left hand. The otter gasped in shock upon seeing what had occurred. Glass all over the floor, as well as the bird's blood; Mordecai was shaking, and still sobbing heavily.

"W-what happened?" The otter asked reaching out to take hold of the other male's injured hand. The taller male didn't respond, but rather fell to his knees and rested his head on the mammal's shoulder.

* * *

><p>After Doug had successfully swept up the mess from the bathroom floor, as well as extracting the remaining glass from the blue jay's hand, the two males sat quietly downstairs, pretending as if nothing had happened. It was of wordless, mutual agreement between the two that it would be best not to bring it up. The sudden sound of the front door opening startled the two. Into the house walked an always cheerful Pops who was carrying a bag of groceries, following him was Skips, who was carrying massive bundles of plastic bags in each arm.<p>

"Greetings!" Pops chimed to the two.

"Hey," Doug waved; Mordecai just remained in his position on the couch without a word. He refused to break his stare on the ceiling. The lolliman and the yeti made their way in kitchen to set down the groceries, then proceeding to remove their heavy winter wear.

"Did you guys just sit there the entire time?" Skips asked, then seeing a glance at the blue jay's bandaged hand. "I guess I shouldn't have left you guys alone." He mumbled with a sigh, turning back into the kitchen to assist Pops in preparing dinner.

* * *

><p>"So how much stuff did you two buy?" Doug asked, taking a bite of his meal.<p>

"Well, you figure it'll take a while for all this snow to go away, added to the fact that the store is pretty far away and we won't want to be taking trips back and forth..." The yeti explained.

"A lot!" Pops yelled out with glee.

"A lot," Skips repeated in a much less emotional way. Mordecai hadn't touched a thing on his plate; he wasn't hungry. He had barely eaten anything that day, yet he felt like he was going to puke up all of his insides. The bird was still a bit shaky, but he was trying to remain strong. Everyone else at the table seemed to notice his state, but didn't want to impose in anyway. They would all just have to wait. Wait for the snow to melt, wait to be released from this captivity, wait for the bird to overcome this moment of mental illness, and just wait for time to pass in general.

"_Time heals all wounds_..." Mordecai thought to himself, looking down at his harmed hand, and placing his other atop his forearm where the countdown lay. What the hell were you supposed to do when time itself was the wound?

* * *

><p>AN: First off, sorry for the late update ; A; I know I usually publish a new chapter every Saturday, but I got caught up in the holiday. I don't really <em>want<em> to blame Easter, but... I blame Easter. Hopefully you understand. I hope you guys on Spring break are having a good time, and for those of you who already had it and are currently in school... hehe c: Thanks so much for the favorites and reviews! Especially the one about this story acting as a gift for your birthday; that just makes me feel amazing :'D Also when someone makes reading your story part of their schedule in life... UGH, #FEELINGS. R&R! Hope you enjoyed. If you didn't, I don't really blame you. I didn't really like writing it, and my beta didn't really like reading it. All of her side notes were about preparing to commit suicide due to the anticlimactic confession. I pray you'll forgive me for posting it anyways ; A; Love you guys~ c: GO LOOK AT PRETTY FANART ON DA ; u;


	14. Facing the Mirror

Disclaimer, all characters used and Regular Show in its entirety belong to J.G. Quintel.  
>Prerequisites: None I guess :I<p>

* * *

><p>It was amazing how utterly exhausted a person could be, even having done absolutely nothing that day. The bird had been trapped within the confines of the house the entire time, yet he threw himself onto his bed as tired as any other day. He let out a groan, rubbing away the dried tears from the corner of his eyes. His newly bandaged hand came to his attention; it would seem as if nothing gets past Skips. Doug cautiously entered the room, glancing over at the blue jay.<p>

"Hey, I was wondering if there were any spare blankets lying around somewhere?" The otter asked.

"Yeah, there are some over in that closet over there," the bird answered, directing the other male's attention to a door across the room. "Where did you sleep last night anyhow?"

"Just on the couch downstairs," the mammal answered, opening the closet door and retrieving a few hefty quilts from atop the shelves.

"You can sleep in here if you want," the avian offered. "I know I wasn't all that friendly yesterday..."

"What? In the closet?" Doug joked with a chuckle, Mordecai only appearing distraught. "Oh, uh, it was a joke. Remember the last time I worked here, I had to slee- Yeah."

"Oh, haha…" The blue jay responded with a few pity laughs. "But seriously, you can sleep on Rigby's trampoline if you want." _One of the few items that the raccoon hadn't taken with him_. Although it was completely understandable; the small male's flimsy arms would have only been able to carry it downstairs at most. Now it was Doug's turn to give the confused look.

"Sleep on a trampoline? That sounds kind of... uncomfortable." The otter said, dragging the 'bed' out of the closet, and setting down his clump of blankets to lay down. His feet hung over the edge, and his head rest upon the hard metal frame; some hair from his neck becoming tightly pulled by the coils. He turned on his side, finding that curling up was obviously a more comfortable option, but could still not compare to the luxury of an actual bed, or even a couch. "Eh, it's just not working for me." Doug stated, getting up and returning the trampoline to its original spot, and closing the door. He picked up his mound of quilts and proceeded to make his way out of the room, leaving Mordecai with a 'Goodnight.'

"_Well that sucks_..." The bird had been hoping that he wouldn't have to sleep alone another night. Not having another person in the room with him was becoming increasingly more foreign, and it irritated him. "_Wonder how much Rigby liked sleeping on that thing_," He wasn't really one to talk, having been the person out of the two of them that got the bed, but he had his reasons too. It wasn't as if he could possibly fit on the trampoline. The avian shifted around, causing a slight jingling sound to be heard through the quiet. He looked over the edge of his bed to find a golden chain, which he grabbed, pulling out the pocket watch that had been nestled underneath his mattress. No matter how many times he was able to forget about the situation he was in, this thing always found a way to make a sudden appearance. He didn't even open it; rather, he put it underneath his pillow to get it out of his sight. The bird didn't want to see the emptiness that lies within.

Mordecai stood up and walked over to the window, pulling back the curtains to look outside. The snow was still stacked high, yet the precipitation had ceased, at least momentarily. Moonlight faintly gleamed through the clouds, making the hazardous snow... beautiful. This monstrous weather was keeping him inside and unable to do anything to solve his problem, but he couldn't help but marvel it. It was like a field of stardust, replicating the sky that hid on the other side of the clouds. The blue jay turned away and walked back over to his bed a laid down. He pulled the covers over his body and flicked the light switch off with his foot. Time to dream.

* * *

><p>Blurred voices began to make themselves clear as the bird rolled around. It was too damn early to be morning already, just a few more minutes of sleep...<p>

"Come on you idiot, get up!"

"_Shut up Benson_..."

"Come on! We don't have all day! Hurry up before I change my mind about helping you!"

"_Help_..._ me_?" The avian opened his eyes and instantly became surprised by his surroundings. Rather than finding himself his bed where he had expected, he lies on a cold, endless checkerboard floor. Mordecai squinted his eyes, where the hell was he? Colossal white columns towered high up, eventually disappearing into a dense fog above.

"We don't have time to dilly-dally!" The voice yelled again, echoing throughout the area.

"Where am I?" The bird yelled back. "Who are you?" A small clock descended from above and floated in front of the blue jay.

"Nice to see you too."

"Father Time..?"

"Have you really met any other talking clocks that you could mistake me for?" He retorted, hovering around Mordecai.

"Yeah, yeah. Where am I?"

"The Dream Terminal." He answered plainly, returning to float in the face of the avian.

"The what?" Mordecai asked, confused. "Wait, so I'm dreaming?"

"In a way, I guess. Follow me." Father Time said, floating off in the direction of the tall columns. The blue jay did as he was told, and trailed behind. He was lead to the center of the columns where a large marble pedestal stood; upon it rest a glimmering azure orb. The clock stopped in front of the sphere.

"This is the Terminal Core."

"Hey, wait! You never even explained to me what this place is!"

"This is place in between dreams and reality, almost like a purgatory or a waiting room." Father Time explained.

"Waiting room for what?"

"Your departure into the Lucid Realm."

"I have no idea what any of these terms are." The bird said with a frustrated sigh.

"Lucid Realm is just a fancy word for dream I suppose. Anyways, this orb will allow you to enter the dream of others."

"Why would I want to do that?" The avian asked.

"It'll help in repairing that watch you've been trying so _hard _to fix." Father Time mocked.

"Well, it would be a lot easier to fix if you'd tell me _how_."

"That's what I'm trying to do!" Mordecai let out another sigh. He was really getting sick of all of these supernatural events occurring. Sure, there was a share fair of peculiar happenings at the park, but that didn't mean he wanted any of it. Sometimes he really wished he could just live a _regular _life. Get out of his dead-end job, get married, raise a family, grow old, and die. While it may sound extremely simple to most, no matter how hard he tried to stay clear of trouble, no matter how hard the avian insisted on just doing what he was told in order to prevent such troublesome things, something always happened.

"Hey!" A voice yelled, waking Mordecai from his thought. "Are you even listening?"

"Listen, can you just put this simply..?" The bird said tiredly.

"You're going to enter your own dream. Find yourself within it, make contact, and that's all for now." The orb began to become bright, and tile floor collapsed from under the avian.

"W-wait.. what?"

"Should've been listening!" Father Time yelled back as everything faded, and all he could see was the same, familiar white.

* * *

><p>Mordecai sat up, looking around once more. This time he found himself in the middle of the... ocean? The massive expanse of water appeared to expand infinitely off into the distance. A sun tiredly poked up from beneath the horizon, giving off a dim illumination. The sea was still and motionless, no waves or ripples could be seen. Added to the fact that the bird was somehow managing to stand on top of it, the water could better be described as glass or ice. Yet, it wasn't frozen. There was just something about it that was unexplainable. He could feel the moistness, but when raising up a leg, his foot felt as dry as ever. Enormous, puffy white clouds lazily drifted slowly above.<p>

What was he here to do anyhow? Father Time had said something about finding himself, but there was no one else around, the blue jay was all alone. It took him a minute, but Mordecai finally realized that he lacked something while examining the water; he had no reflection. Nor did he have a shadow to accompany him. It was almost as if he were a ghost, or not even there in simpler terms. This could quite well be the reason he was unable to affect the water's movement. The bird knelt down, looking closer at the ocean's surface. He could see through it as clearly as if it were glass. Not much to see though, it was completely barren of any life or vegetation. Only the sandy seafloor occupied the other side.

"_How am I supposed to do anything if_-"The avian's thought was cut short as his eyes locked onto a silhouette floating beneath the water. Possibly a fish? He pressed his face to the water as best he could to get a better look. Squinting, he could make out the thin legs and banded wings. The beak the protruded from his face; it was indeed him, just floating there. Now the question that came to mind was how to get through. Trying to reach through was impossible, the density of the water considerably equivalent to concrete or stone. The bird slammed his good fist at the surface, causing bolts of pain to shoot up through his arm. His muscles tensed up until said pain eventually subsided, incoherent cursed muttered. Just as he was about to give up, he heard a... crunching sound? Mordecai looked back down to the water, which was now beginning to fog. The surface was beginning to freeze, and after a small area had been reverted to this ice-like state, scratching could be heard from the other side. Letters began to form, reminding the blue jay of writing on a frost coated window.

'Who are you?' It spelled, the writing eventually fading away. The bird carefully pressed his finger against the surface, and wrote his name.

'Mordecai' was his response, eventually fading away as well. He remained there, kneeling silently, waiting for something else to happen.

'Liar.' The writing answered back. The blue jay's heart stopped.

"_What_..?" The water began to shift from underneath him, and shrapnel of ice jetted up out of the water at him. Mordecai fell on his back, rolling over and then hurriedly fleeing. Stalactites rose from the water, to which the avian swiftly dodged. A few nicked him, leaving deep gashes on his legs and abdomen. Where was he supposed to flee? There was nowhere to hide he thought, heavily wheezing. A few more shards were fired at him, one of them managing to slice his cheek. Blood poured out of his wounds and dripped into the water, blue feathers turning violet. Tears began to form on the rim of his eyes. A rectangular form rose up out of the water, drifted towards the male. Mordecai backed away slowly as the ice slab approached him, and he closed his eyes in preparation for the final blow. He waited and waited, listening to his hearts racing pulse as his head throbbed, but when he opened his eyes, all he saw was himself.

He looked at bloody gashed across his body, his reddened eyes leaking tears. The bird looked utterly devastated. Writing once again appeared, repeating the question asked earlier.

'Who are you?' Without thinking, he lifted up his arm to write an answer, but pulled it back. Mordecai looked at his reflection a little longer, choking on sobs. The avian looked at his hand, the once white bandages stained red.

"I don't know." He spat.

A crack began to spread across the mirror, and Mordecai watched as his reflection was broken into hundreds of pieces. There was a loud clash as the slab tore itself apart, the fragments floating in air as if time had stopped. They slowly rotated towards the blue jay and fired at him like bullets. The glass tore through him with ease; blood splattering everywhere. He fell into the water, and his last breaths slipped from his lungs, rising to the surface. Even while he watched the bubbles drift away, carrying his life with them, the blue jay couldn't help but laugh. He was beginning to understand.

* * *

><p>AN: While writing this, my thoughts were, "Oh LAWD, this is a long chapter! c: ". Unfortunately, no, not really. I wasn't planning on releasing today, but I dunno, got a little inspired. * u* It's a small world I guess. Thanks so much for the reviews and favorites, even though I didn't release last week, ; u; very kind. There's been a buttload of hits, hasn't dropped below 100 for two weeks c: ! We'll have to see how my schedule for releasing goes due to schoolwork and my Legend of Korra obsession. (Pair Mako's eyebrows with everyone/) I got very excited because I found a piece of fanart and it is gorgeous! The link to it is on my profile if you care, which you better ಠ nಠ Haha, well, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, I might go back and work on ch.13 some because it's still bothering me U nU  
>Please R&amp;R! It means a lot c: Have a great week guys, school is almost over!~<p> 


	15. Selfish or Selfless

Regular Show and its characters belong to J.G. Quintel

* * *

><p>The stinging burn of bloody cuts weakened into small tingling sensations as the bird awoke. Gasping for air, the suffocation that had slowly concreted his lungs began to lighten as Mordecai was reintroduced into the real world. He was unable to tell whether he had actually been dreaming, or rather his consciousness slipping into some other realm.<p>

"_Aren't those the same thing_..?" It was just an odd feeling having another person in a place such as that with him. The blue jay was beginning to question how far Father Time's abilities went; unable to find a connection between temporal and subconscious attributes. He flailed about in an attempt to wake his body up further, knocking his pillow off his bed which landed on the floor with a loud clatter. Mordecai looked over the edge in confusion, finding the pocket watch and its chain sprawled out across the hardwood floor. Maybe that was what had caused it all to occur. With a bandaged hand, he reached down and snatched up the small clock that easily fit within his palm. The avian flinched at the ray of light that was refracted into his eye, then turning to look at the clear window. Mordecai rolled himself off of his bed, and took a few hesitant, sleepy steps towards the window. He stared outside for a few minutes before beginning to turn away, only to stop and perform a double take in disbelief. Upon peering out the window, the first thing that the bird was able to process: green.

"_What_..._ the hell_?" the avian thought, looking over the sudden, unexpected scenery change. In the place of where mounds of dense snow and ice had lain the night before, had been replaced with patches of jade grass. Autumn trees, whose leaves had huddled together under the barren branches, were now wearing vibrant coats of emerald. Mordecai lifted up the window, allowing the cool air to enter the room, accompanied by the gleeful tunes of the birds outside.

This made no sense. There was truly no logical explanation to how the snow had disappeared over night, leaving absolutely no trace whatsoever.

"_Maybe someone came by and shoveled it_..?"Looking up at the towering buildings outside of the confines of the park, that idea became invalid. The tops of the buildings were missing the snowy caps that they had worn the previous day. Even if the snow had melted, or been shoveled, or any other reason that the avian could think up, none of them explained the trees. They were currently in the midst of September, so this _Spring-like_ atmosphere was definitely out of the ordinary. He removed his sweater, carelessly tossing it aside onto his bed; it's warmth no longer necessary. The avian took a look at his now revealing arm, the countdown reading '_6:15:43:12_.' Father Time had said something about assisting him in fixing the watch, but the blue jay still hadn't the slightest idea of what to do. He dug out the watch from underneath his pillow, took a deep breath, and opened the front. Disappointment set in as the same old emptiness stared back at him, and the male let out a sigh, returning the watch to its original location. Mordecai was immensely confused of all these strange happenings lately, and whether or not to let these unnatural occurrences slide by, or to try and take some action on it. Things like this happened all the time, unordinary things were ordinary, but it didn't make him want to stop them any less. The bird decided that he would pay a visit to the expert on the unorthodox: Skips.

Mordecai quickly left the house, paying no mind to showering, eating breakfast, or really any part of the morning routine. He felt the urge that whatever was going on needed to be dealt with ad quickly as possible, and Skips seemed to always know exactly what was going on, and what the solution was. Mordecai could see Pops off in the distance, once again in the garden, uprooting flowers to add to the bouquet in his hand.

"Serious _Deja Vu _right now..." the blue jay continued down the trail to the garage that the yeti occupied, eventually coming up the door; slightly huffing for breath. The avian gave the wooden door a few knocks with his fist, waiting a few moments before it was answered by Skips. His expressionless eyes beamed down on the bird, his gruff voice questioning the other male's presence with a "what?"

"Skips, I need your help."

"As if that's uncommon," the yeti answered with a roll of his eyes.

"What happened to all the snow? And the trees?"

"You tell me. I don't think anyone has done anything recently that could have resulted in something like this other than you."

"What?" The avian questioned, unable to understand what the bigger male was trying to get at. Skips let out a sigh before back out of the doorway.

"Come in." He said, inviting the avian inside. The yeti's house was rather empty, a few weight sets here and there, as well as bed. Other than that, there was really nothing more to Skips' house. The walls were a rather dull shade of grayish green, absolutely barren of any pictures; although, maybe it was the fact that the blue jay had hardly ever been inside that made it seem more interesting. Mordecai just decided to sit on the end of the weight bench while the other male hurriedly cleaned up from what appeared to be an experiment of some kind.

"What were you working on?" Mordecai asked, only to be answered with a grunt.

"Not important. So do you still have that thing on your arm?"

"Yeah..." The blue jay responded, holding out his arm to the yeti who looked it over.

"Hmm..."

"So, do you not know anything about the weather either?"

"I think it'd be safe to say I know just about as much as you do." The bigger male answered, releasing the bird's wing from his grasp. "What about that watch?" Skips asked, causing an idea to spring up in the avian's head.

"Oh yeah, when I found the thing it _did_ look an awful lot like the seasons." The yeti shot him a questioning look. "There was a section that reminded me of Summer, and other that looked like Fall. The third one looked like Winter and-..."

"And..?"

"Well, the last part was missing."

"Where did you find this pocket watch at anyways?"

"Out in the fountain when I had to clean it not that long ago," Skips remained silent, almost surprised, but cut it off by turning away and skipping across the room. "Well?" The yeti returned back over to the bird, holding out something for him to see.

"I found this out by the fountain a couple days ago." The bigger male said as Mordecai looked over the green fragment in his palm. It was a mirror of the other three in size, but possessed a black floral design on it. The yeti flipped it over to reveal the back where the word "_Rebirth_" was inscribed.

"Spring..." He muttered, reaching out to take it, Skips then quickly clenched his fist and pulled it back. "Hey! I need that!" The bird yelled, getting up and reaching for the shard that the yeti held up in the air away from him.

"I need it too," was Skips' response, grabbing the other male's arm and pulling him away to stop him from jumping at it.

"What the hell, Skips?"

"Sit down." The yeti said in a serious tone, to which Mordecai obeyed, returning to his seat on the bench. "Do you remember that conversation we had where I told you about my dilemma with time?"

"Do you mean how you aren't affected by it?" The larger male answered with a nod. "You never really described it as a _dilemma_," the yeti let out a sigh, looking down sadly at the shard in his hand and then back up at Mordecai.

"What happened when you got your do-over?" The bird sat there for a few moments before catching onto what Skips was talking about.

"Well, I sorta just found myself at the moment where it all started I guess."

"And everyone else in the world also had to be sent back to that point in time as well."

"Yeah, but they don't seem to remember it."

"That's where I come in." Skips said.

"Are you saying that you keep your memory, even when time is reset? Isn't that a good thing?" The bird asked the yeti, who was now staring blankly at him. The bigger male's eye began to twitch, and he took in a deep breath before turning to throw a punch at the wall. His fist broke through the dry wall effortlessly, causing dust and plaster to be sent flying everywhere. The bird made an attempt to scoot away from the enraged yeti; fearful for his life. He wanted to curse out of confusion, but found himself too overwhelmed with fear to say anything.

"DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO RELIVE THE SAME DAY OVER AND OVER?" Skips yelled at the blue jay, who was now shaking. Tears slowly became visible in the yeti's eyes, causing Mordecai to only become more fearful.

"W-what?" The bird stuttered, his stomach beginning to tie itself in knots.

"_Skips of all people... is crying_?"

"Every damn time somebody gets a do-over, I find myself back in the point in time that they got sent to! I live every day practically thousands of times, watching people make the same mistakes resulting in the same consequences! Finally making it to bed at night an expecting a new day, only to find yourself back at the start of the current one; it's hell on Earth!" Mordecai stood there quietly while processing his thoughts.

"Does that mean that every time me and Rigby screwed up something at the park, you already knew it was going to happen..?"

"Yeah, it's pretty easy to solve a problem that you've dealt with over hundreds of times." The yeti said scornfully. Mordecai almost wanted to apologize, barely able to comprehend what Skips had been going through all these years. Were days more like months to him? Months more like years? All this time he had known the solution to their problems because he'd already been in that situation before.

"Did you know that Rigby was going to leave..?"

"No, I found that out the _day after _it happened." The two were quiet, Mordecai's quick heart racing along with Skips' angry huffs were the only sounds.

"Is there not a way to undo the 'curse' or whatever?"

"Death," the yeti answered harshly, causing the avian to regret asking. Had Skips even thought about that? Living the rest of eternity with this burden with death being the only way out? Surely it wouldn't be at his own hands... would it? No, Skips was stronger than to resort to that... wasn't he?

"I'm sorry." Was the only thing Mordecai could get himself to say.

"It was my mistake."

"So how many times have you 'relived' today..?" The blue jay asked out of curiosity, hoping that he pushing things too far.

"Once," was Skips' answer, holding the clock shard in his hand for Mordecai to see. "Ever since I found this, I've never found myself sent back in time." The blue jay didn't know what to do now. His friend clearly needed that clock piece too, but as much as he wanted to sympathize for the other male, he needed it more. He clearly wouldn't be able to get it from him now; he would just have to wait, and if it ever got to the point that he would need to steal it off of him, the avian was prepared to do so. Mordecai couldn't help but feel a bit selfish upon thinking that, but who knows what would happen if that countdown went off.

"And because of that," Skips began, "I don't know how to help you."

"I understand." Mordecai said, opening the door and stepping out of the yeti's abode.

"I'll leave you with what I told you before, if you want to fix this, I would go try and talk things out with Rigby." Skips said before closing the door and leaving the avian to himself.

"Rigby..." The bird muttered to himself. That was what initially had started all this, right? It was about damn time that he repaired the issues between the two of them, and to find out the truth about how the raccoon felt.

* * *

><p>AN: Yeah... I was a bit late. Hopefully you're thankful that I released a new chapter and will refrain from hating me. :I My beta was attacking me because I didn't have anything written on Sunday. -"I bet my readers hate me ; u;" -"I would." Oh, gotta love her xD.. I wasn't right, was I? ; n; I haven't really heard anything from you guys lately, hopefully I haven't lost any of you do to my laziness ; A; Please review if you enjoyed! I will try hard to update on Sunday D: I have finals this and next week, so hopefully I wont be <em>too<em> overwhelmed. Thanks guys!~ :U


	16. Cosmos

Regular Show and its characters belong to J.G. Quintel

* * *

><p>All civilians within the city carried on with their daily lives, no one even seeming spare the slightest of interest on the weather. The new budding trees and warm spring air seemed to be all but a mystery. They appeared to be grateful for not having to remain trapped within their abodes any longer, but that optimism could be determined as the source of their negligence. It was just another strange event to unfold, and now that it had passed, there was simply no time to waste in questioning things. They were used to this sort of thing; they had adapted, but why couldn't Mordecai? He was usually the one in the heat of everything, but the supernatural was as much of a stranger to him as it had always been. Maybe he should start to think like them...<p>

The blue jay approached the gates to the still unfamiliar amusement park once more. His heart was racing and his stomach churned with anxiety. The bird felt limp, easily recalling his confrontation with his so called 'parallel,' not much thought required for the words to be echoing through his head once more.

"_I know you want him back, but he's doing just fine here_."_ Yeah right_.

"_What_?_ Don't like it when I touch you_?_ Rigby does_." _That's not true_.

"_Oh_,_ are we getting jealous_?" _Maybe a little_...

Mordecai let out a groan. This is exactly what Allan had wanted; for his words to gnaw away at him, and it was doing a damn good job. He had done fairly well at locking it away in his mind, preventing it from pestering him further. There clearly wasn't much he could do about it now except soak it all in.

"Hey! Can I help you?" A man yelled from within one of the ticket booths. Mordecai jumped, nearly scared to death; completely having forgotten that he was in public. Well, this was embarrassing. The bird's eye began to twitch, and while laughter filled his insides, a sense of anguish and frustration flooded his mind.

"Goddamnit," He let out to himself. Twice in a row he had forgotten to bring money, having been too quick to act rather than think. Maybe he could run back to the house and grab his wallet, scratch that, empty wallet.

"Well?" The impatient man asked. The avian approached the booth with a sigh.

"How much are tickets?"

"Five dollars," he responded not too enthusiastically. Mordecai tried to think of someone that could possibly lend him money back at the house. There was no way he wanted to face Benson, this had to be like the hundredth time he had skipped work. On the topic of skipping, it _had_ been Skips' idea, but the bird doubted that he would supply him with the necessary rations. Mordecai was still a little unsure of where they stood after Skips had seemingly exploded on him earlier. Pops was still under the impression that candy could act as currency, even after the numerous discussions the rest of the park had with him. Maybe Doug would be willing; he seemed like a nice-

"Dude, seriously." The park employee cut in again, "are you going to pay or not?"

"Sorry, I don't have the money..." The blue jay said in defeat, feeling incredibly stupid having made the same mistake twice. The man gave him a strange look to the bird, eying his wing, then looking back into his eyes.

"I don't know if this is some sort of joke, but there's a five-dollar bill taped to your arm." Mordecai was now the one providing the strange look. He first looked at his bandaged arm, leading to him quickly covering the countdown with his other hand. Low and behold, the mentioned green bill's presence became apparent. The bird gave it a confused look before removing it, as well as the single piece of scotch-tape that had secured it.

"_What_..._ the_..._ hell_..."was all that he could ponder. When had that even happened? Who the hell gets some sick pleasure from taping money onto other people? While the bird did thank whoever had done it for providing him with the money necessary to carry out his plan, they didn't have to go about it so weirdly. Mordecai looked over his shoulder; barely any people behind him, none of them even truly paying attention to him. He didn't recall ever coming close enough to any of them for such and act to be committed either.

"Erm..." Mordecai said with uncertainty, sliding it to the other male. He gave the avian another look of confusion and aggravation before placing the cash into the register and proceeding to tear a ticket from the roll.

"Thanks." Mordecai said, taking the crimson ticket from the other male's hand, who answered with a grunt. The bird took a few hesitant steps into the park, taking the precautions to look out for Allan with every step. A sea of people flowed through the area, dense with humans of all ages. Occasional anthros scattered here and there, but still greatly outnumbered. Mordecai had gotten this far, but the question now was where to honestly begin. The park was huge, so tracking down the small raccoon as well as a private place to talk in this monstrous population would be difficult. Not to mention that he was avoiding receiving attention from Allan.

The bird decided to try and find an employee that could possibly help him, and how to ask without appearing suspicious in any way. Roaming trying to concentrate while the sound of screaming children and crying babies pierced through the atmosphere, conversations blended together in his ears, becoming a jumble of words that violently clashed together.

Walking around a while longer in what seemed to be endless circles, the bird found a smaller female employee. She only reached up to about Mordecai's chest, wore her uniform as explicitly as possible, and was texting rapidly. She obviously didn't care too much to be here, and while the avian took the act of rudeness into question, he concluded that he couldn't consider himself much better of a worker either. Mordecai approached the teenager, triggering her eyes to glance up from her screen and at the avian. They were dull and tired looking, and the blue jay couldn't help but stand there and stare at them.

"What?" She asked, giving her gum a few loud chews and returning to her phone.

"Uh, I'm actually looking for someone. I thought you might know where they would be..."

"I might," the girl said, quickly sliding the keyboard to her phone shut skillfully, and placing it into a pocket. "Depends who."

"Do you know a really short and whiny raccoon? Name's Rigby," the bird was quickly taken aback as the girl's eyes lit up almost instantaneously upon hearing the mammal's name.

"Of course!" She let out, making sporadic gestures with her hands.

"Eheh," Mordecai chuckled awkwardly. "So..?"

"Oh, right. He's probably still in the house, not much of a worker."

The bird laughed; honestly this time. "Trust me, I know. So where it this 'house?'" The girl pointed to a rather tall structure nearby. "Thanks," the avian said, beginning to walk off.

"Wait, how do you know him?"

"He's a friend of mine." The bird said, turning back around to face her.

"Are you Mordecai?" She asked.

"Yeah," the blue jay responded, this having the exactly opposite effect on the female than had the raccoon's name. Her face was a look somewhere between disappointment and disgust, stuck like that while her eyes refused to break away from his. They looked... sad. Mordecai couldn't quite understand, but as the tension rose, he decided to high tail it out of there.

He approached the designated building, first observing the odd shape. The architecture of the house was indeed abnormal, not to mention the very colorful array of paint tones that covered it from head to toe; a "disorganized rainbow" possibly being the best way to describe it. A large sign that read "Employees Only" displayed on the wooden door. Mordecai walked up, looking behind his back to make sure there wasn't anyone to question his actions around, then opened the door and stepped inside. A few people where already in the house, whether it was sitting down on a sofa and watching TV or in the adjacent room to which the bird suspected of being the kitchen. They all turned their heads to look towards the avian questionably, but none of them saying a word. He decided to try and take his chances, and made his way up the large staircase in the middle of the house. The avian traveled through the hallways, poking his head into rooms with already open door, eventually coming upon on with familiar mementos. He left the light off, stepping into the room and looking around.

Mordecai looked around, recognizing his friend's "Eggcellent" hat that rested upon the top of a dresser, also finding the "Mordecai and the Rigbys" shirt casually tossed onto side of the twin-sized bed. The mammal's suitcase lay messily in the middle of the floor, clothes that he never seemed to wear scattered all around. The blue jay assumed that this room solely belonged to his friend, seeing nothing but the mammal's belongings as well as the small size of it.

"Must be nice..." He murmured to himself, taking a seat on the edge of the messy bed. "He gets his own bed _and _room here." The avian shifted his gaze over to the shirt that rest beside him, taking a hold over it and remembering his and Rigby's encounter with their future selves. He let out a chuckle, tears beginning to prick his eyes. The blue jay blinked a few times in order to get them to go away, then setting down the garments to continue his examination of the room. The walls and ceiling were painted black, splatter painted with white, almost giving a cosmic atmosphere of some kind. A large, wide window on the opposite side of the room from the bed made up for the lack of light, sunlight bursting through. The blue jay laid down on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. Maybe, even if it were for a split second, he was able to convince himself that he wasn't in the world anymore. Rather, he was floating through the endless fabrics of space without a care at all. He continued to do this for a few minutes, only leading him to realize that space was a cold, dark place to be alone.

* * *

><p>The raccoon let out a deep sigh, making his way into the cool, air-conditioned house. It wasn't even that hot out, but spending a good hour or two out directly under the sun never helped anyone. Well, it didn't help him at least.<p>

"Hey, Rigby! How was it?" Someone called to him from the living room.

"Not now," he muttered back, "I'm exhausted." The mammal groaned, sluggishly throwing himself up the stairs.

"How do you end up so tired when you don't even work?" The fellow employee asked with a grin, peeking through the door frame to look at the mammal.

"Stop talking!" Rigby, yelled back, continuing on his way upstairs. The screams of the massive crowd of people could still be heard from outside, and the houses' large size only seemed to amplify it. "You'll grow used to it after a while." They had said to him.

"Liars," he spoke quietly to himself. While everyone else seemed to do well at covering it up, he could tell that it got on everyone else's nerves just as much as it did his. The mammal was just happy that he didn't have to deal with it as long as he possibly _could_. The park's hours were short, and the pay was good considering the large number of other employees. He didn't really even have to do so much as fill out a single piece of paper work to obtain his place here. The mammal had been quickly taken in and provided with his very own room upon coming across the place the night of his departure from his job at the other park.

Rigby stopped walking, peering down at the floor and his little feet. All of this had been given to him without the slightest of his efforts being required in the process. So much of this stuff that he never had at his last job, why did it seem so little? He had managed to branch out and make new friends here. The raccoon was actually one of the most considerably popular people here, but he wasn't sure that he liked everyone back. No one seemed to appeal along the lines of friendship, well, he supposed there was one. The mammal took a moment to reflect back on that night, whose events still gave him nightmares. Then he remembered being approached by a familiar avian, his heart racing with excitement upon his friend going in search to find him. Of course, he had left those days and emotions behind him. Yet, he could still feel them dragging along behind him, like unwanted guests.

"Mordecai!" He had called out, embracing the other male, burying his face deep into the bird's feathers. The stench of dye permeated through his nose, causing the small male to cough a bit, pulling away to look at who it was exactly he was with. The features all resembled that of his friend, and in the dark it had been hard to tell, but it gave off a different feeling.

"Sorry," the voice had said, the tone mirroring Mordecai's perfectly. "I'm Allan..." Disappointment washed over the mammal, as well as embarrassment from his quick gesture of physical contact. Green eyes shone back at him, being the only outstanding different feature that the bird had to offer. Rigby had to admit that the eyes had pierced through the dark in the scariest of ways, and while he wouldn't say anything to his new friend about them, they still haunted him. After all, the raven had been the one to bring him out of the dark and into the hospitality here in the amusement park.

"_Enough with that story_..." Rigby told himself, continuing his way back to his room. He flipped on the light switch and immediately froze. Heart stopped beating, eyes went wide, and thoughts ceased. It was as if time itself had stopped.

* * *

><p>Reinnnnn. You were late againnnnn... Shut up. :I<br>No, just kidding xD I'll admit to being late. Although I will not take **ALL** the blame. I had some things to deal with, and quite frankly, if you're very upset about it to the extent that you want to brutally torture and/or murder someone, I would be happy oblige. Hehe. Make him _suffer._  
>No, kidding again ; A; Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I hadn't originally planned to make some of this from Rigby's p.o.v. , but I did intend to have him featured in the chapter... as mentioned in the previous one... Thanks so much for the attention! The hits look gorgeous, and give me something to be prideful of. I hope to hear back from you guys! As my readers, It means a ton to hear your opinion. You guys are kind of above me in a way. It only took me six days this time... yay. Hopefully I can release on Sunday like normal, but no promises. Really seems like something ends up happening. I don't really promote things that much, but I do highly suggest looking up Mr. GW , whose fic I still await updating! I guess that's all!<br>Oh, to my readers who like Korra, **THAT NEW EPISODE. UGH. I DON'T KNOW WHO MY OTP IS ANYMORE. WHY.  
><strong>Next week will be my last in school, and then it's on to summer vacation. No promises, (again), but I do highly expect to being releasing twice a week. We still have a HUGE chunk of story ahead of us! Please tell me which days you think would be best for you! Preferably not consecutive... = .=


	17. Fade

It's always hard looking back on the things or habits that we leave behind in life. Things that we know we'd be stronger without, and therefore better off forgetting. It would be simple if it weren't for the temptation that comes with it all; the need. So when given the chance to try and fix mistakes that are best left alone, you uncontrollably make attempts to repair or gain things. Whether it be an addiction that you turn to in times of distress or a person who'll only end up hurting you, you can't stop the inevitability of eventually caving in.

Losing

Must

all

remain

control

strong

* * *

><p>The raccoon took a few unstable steps backwards until his back was pressed up against the door. He had been scared to death by the unexpected appearance of someone in his room, and had less expected it to be the blue jay of all people. The bird's eyes were closed, his hands interlocked on his chest, his breaths slow and content. Rigby noticed the peculiar markings on the blue jay's arm, as well as his bandaged hand, yet put little question into it. More importantly was why was he here? The mammal could understand the avian showing up at the park in another attempt to redeem himself, but not to suddenly show in his room without even the slightest notice.<p>

"_What_... _am I supposed to do_?" The furry male asked himself, standing back up and walking near the bed to examine his friend. Was he sleeping? How long had he been here even?

"No." He muttered, returning his gaze to his feet once more. All he needed was wake up the bird and tell him to get out, simple as that. The sooner he was to do that, the sooner he could resume with his regular life.

"_But still_..."Why was he here? Rigby lightly tugged and pulled on the blue jay's arm, shaking him in an attempt awake him. Slowly but surely, Mordecai's eyes began to open. His pupils shifted around hesitantly; however, when the two made eye-contact, he looked anything up surprised. The smaller male loosened his grip on the other's arm while the bird sat up and sleepily rubbed at his eyes. Rigby's stomach filled with butterflies as the tension within him elevated exponentially.

"What are you doing in my room?" Rigby said, amazed by his ability to even muster words to say. Mordecai sat there quietly, a few moments passing before his face lit up in embarrassment. Had he... forgotten? The mammal let out a sigh as the other male stood up. Mordecai almost gave an apologetic look, his cheeks bashfully tinted with crimson.

"I completely forgot where I was." The bird laughed. Rigby couldn't help but laugh with him, but he did so internally. Outside, his face showed no sign of humor or emotion in general, appearing to be completely unfazed. The avian's laughter died down awkwardly and the silence returned.

"What are you doing here?" The smaller male repeated again in an empty tone.

"Listen dude," the blue jay began, sitting once again on the bed, "I'm here to apologize for everything. I'm sorry I talk about Margaret so much; I had no idea that it hurt you like that. And I take back everything I said during that stupid fight, I didn't mean any of it." The raccoon remained quiet.

_"Wait_-_ what_..?"

"So please," Mordecai continued, "will you come back to the park and screw things up with me like always?"

"What did you mean?" Rigby asked, completely ignoring his old friend's request.

"Huh?"

"You said you had no idea that talking about Margaret hurt me so much. What makes you think that?"

"Well, that was kinda what the argument was about in the first place." The bird explained, Rigby giving a grunt in response. "So..."

"So..?"

"Will you come back?" The mammal began to ponder what the best way was to deny the question, only to wind up questioning other things. Did he really even want to go back to the old park? He had friends here, not that he liked them, but still friends none the less. Not to mention he had his very own room, which sported a real bed for him to sleep on. He got paid much more money for much less work, and he got to live in a much more luxurious house with minimal rules.

"_I'm happy here_..._ right_?"

"_No_."

"_Yes_."

"No." The raccoon stated, causing the bird to almost wince in... pain?

"Dude! Why not?"

"I'm perfectly happy here." Rigby said, turning away from the other male and beginning to tidy up the jumble of clothes and trash that was sprawled across the floor. The avian didn't respond, he just sat there quietly; Rigby could practically feel the avian's eyes. What was he feeling? Sadness? Anger? Was he just going to accept raccoon's decision and leave, or was he going to drag him out by force. And why did Rigby not want it to be the first option?

"How's Allan?" The avian asked, shocking the other male with such a random and off-topic question.

"He's fine, I guess," Rigby answered. "Why?" Turning, he found the blue jay with a rather hurt expression on his face.

"_Why is he_-?"

"Was just wondering. I know you two are friends and all."

"What makes you think that?" The mammal asked.

"I came with Margaret and Eileen that one day."

"Yeah, for like five minutes," Rigby retorted. Mordecai didn't answer, and his expression didn't change. The smaller male's chest gave a faint, familiar pain. Why was he the one feeling this? Wasn't it a good thing that Mordecai was feeling a bit of pain; a bit of remorse?

"_No_."

"_Yes_."

"Why'd you even leave anyhow?"

"To be honest, I just felt like an awkward third-wheel." The avian said with a flimsy smile.

"_Now you understand how I feel_..." Rigby thought to himself. "And yes, we're friends." He answered with a sigh, not much seeing the point in the question itself. "Is that a problem?"

"Well, no- I just," Mordecai began to fumble around with his words. How did he want to put it? "I just don't really... like him all that much. I'm fine with you two being friends and all..."

"Why don't you like him?" Rigby asked curiously, rather than becoming offended.

"Well I really can't help but feel replaced..." The bird explained, rubbing at the back of his neck as he always did when pushed into an uncomfortable situation. "Like someone came into my life and-"

"Took this person you've known forever away from you?" Rigby finished, almost unknowingly. Mordecai blushed a bit, unsure as how to respond.

"Y-yeah. I guess." The smaller male's heart was fluttering now. As much as he had told himself to get over his issues with the blue jay and move on with his life, he wanted this so much. He wanted to hear the bird's desperate pleas for him to return home; anything to make him feel... valuable. Rigby could easily read Mordecai's face, and although nothing had been said on the matter, he could almost sense the romantic tension in the atmosphere.

"_Could_..._ he possibly_..?"

"_Tell_

"_Stop_

_him_

_imagining_

_now_"

_things_"

"Mordecai, do you-"

"Eh? Who let you in?" Both males jumped at the sudden voice, turning quickly to find Allan leaning against the door frame, casually drinking a soda. Neither of them really knew what to say as the darker bird took a sip of his beverage, same cocky face awaiting an answer. While he seemed fixated on Mordecai's excuse, the raccoon was the one to speak up.

"I let him in."

"Shouldn't you ask how long I've been here before you go along and make things up?" The bird asked with a chuckle; Rigby turning red._  
><em>"_Why is he doing this_?"The mammal thought, becoming slightly irritated by his friend's interference. "_And why now of all times_?"Right when he had managed to work up enough courage to possibly say something. Allan could have just prevented possible confessions... or kissing.. or-

"So..." The raven started again, "I guess I'll ask why you're here then."

"Same reason I came a few days ago," Mordecai answered angrily, almost... _fearful._

"Listen, like I said, he's fine here." He responded to the blue jay. "Shouldn't you be paying more attention to your girlfriend Mar-ga-ret?"

"..._What_..?" The word unintentionally mocked Rigby, now having a negative effect when used _against_ him rather than being said _by _him.

"_Please_

"_Please_

_don't_

_don't_

_cry_"

_cry_"

Mordecai and Allen continued to argue, but it all just sounded blurred to the raccoon. The only thing he could maintain to process was his thoughts, and even they were hazed.

"_Mordecai_..._ is dating_..._ Margaret_..?" There it was; the same familiar pain that had struck him the very day of the argument burning in his chest again. He felt like a complete and total idiot for his inaccurate assumptions. What a fool he had been to even consider for a split-second that Mordecai could return his feelings. How _very_ stupid.

"You must really like my leftovers!" Allan teased, the two bird's argument fading in, then back out.

"_I had told myself_..._ that I wasn't going to hurt over him anymore_..." Rigby thought, looking down at his _weak_,_ incapable _hand. His inability to even help himself loomed over him; vision beginning to blur as well while the stinging sensation of tears started to become apparent. The lump in his throat grew larger, sharper, it hurt. All of it.

Watching the two others make their way out of the room and eyesight, the raccoon allowed himself to fall apart at the seams. Knees collapsed, and he fell to the floor, cradling himself. He took a strong hold on his tail as tears poured out onto the floor and his gasps for air through heavy sobs grew louder. Faint whining began emitting from the depths of his throat. The male laid there miserably in the middle of the floor, surrounded by the various items that he had obtained throughout his marvelous misadventures with the bird.

"I hate it," the mammal muttered, gripping at his chest, "all of it."

* * *

><p>"Dude, screw off." Mordecai said, backing away from the raven, who causally advanced towards him. "I can talk to him if I want."<p>

"Are you going to leave on your own? Or am I going to have to call security..?" The other male responded with a slight frown. The blue jay eyed his every move, still cautious to making contact; burning sensation still lingering far back in his memories. Both birds left the house arguing, earning a bounty of concerned looks from other residents of the house.

"What the hell is your issue with me?" Mordecai asked with frustration, Allan closing the door behind him. "You're me after all, aren't you? Shouldn't we get along?"

"I am NOT _you_," Allan said with a scowl of disgust, "YOU are _me._"

"Huh? You're _my_ parallel or whatever."

"Exactly," the darker bird stated cooly, "I was here _first_." Mordecai began to realize that the two of them were beginning to draw attention to themselves; however, he was at the point of irritation that it didn't even bother him. Why was it proving to be so difficult to get along with _himself_? Even if he was this 'parallel' thing, it's not as if they were fighting to the death for existence. Then something clicked within his head.

"Are you trying to take Rigby away from me?"

"Pretty dumb question seeing as thought I already have." Allan said with a scoff. Damn he really wanted to punch this guy in the face. The bird considered himself fairly controlled when it came to violence... well, to people other than Rigby. Why was that..?

"I was just wondering, seeing as we're the same person. I figured since he's my friend, you'd think of him as yours too."

"Do you even hear yourself right now? I'm not the one sneaking into his room just to apologize for being an idiot. Yet, you still talk as if he's your friend and not mine."

"I'll get him back." Mordecai said in as serious a tone he could produce, giving the other male a confident smile to ensure his promise. Rather than an expected face of anger, the raven's face fell to one of concern.

"Listen, it's really just for the best that you forget about him..."

"Why the hell would I do that?" The blue jay spat.

"Weird stuff has been happening lately." The darker bird began.

"_Tell me about it_..."

"Either way, one of you will be forgotten." Mordecai just gave him an odd look. What was he even talking about at this point? "While you try to deal with all your problems, others are occurring elsewhere. I get this uneasy feeling that it's only a matter of _time_ until they end up colliding." He looked completely serious, but the blue jay wasn't entirely sure how to interpret what he had said.

"What are you-?"

"Maybe in the long run of things, the best way to solve this, is by not trying to solve it." The two stood there without a word, laughter and joy from pedestrians in the background. It was almost like salt in the wound; to know other people are happy while you go through your troubles.

When upset, you subconsciously think of the world itself just as unhappy as you. Although, at a time like this, the realization that such thought is untrue causes your sense of hopelessness to increase. You become jealous that these people get to feel bliss while you experience pain, you become _envious_.

"Anyways," Allan muttered, opening the door and stepping halfway into the house. "That's just what I think. You can't always fix the past; try your best to move one direction in life." The raven finished, fully shutting the entrance.

What now? Mordecai still had no clue as to what the other male was getting at, but maybe that just ended up encouraging him to take the words to mind more than he already had. This was the third time he had failed an attempt to talk to Rigby, were they all just going to end like this? He'd eventually give up on it anyhow. Besides, he had Margaret and Eileen. The resolution to his issue with fixing the watch became less and less about Rigby with each day. Father Time had said something in his dream about it, hadn't he..?

"_Margaret_..."He thought, remembering back to his girlfriend. Oh, that's right. The two hadn't been able to talk or follow through with that date of theirs, had they? A quick stop by the coffee shop to say hello and reschedule wouldn't hurt. Mordecai hadn't fully given up on retrieving the raccoon, but he couldn't guarantee that as time passed, his motivation would remain strong. Emotions would slowly fade away and be forgotten in the depths of his heart; replaced by new ones. How simple it would be to just wait and let things take their course, if only that were what he wanted.

* * *

><p>Sigh. Yes, this was very late. It was my birthday last week, as well as finals (great present), so I was rather busy. Hopefully that's a viable excuse, and hopefully you enjoyed this chapter. I've remained just as lazy and unmotivated as ever = . = A lot of unfavorable things have been happening. End of the school year stress I suppose. I pray that I manage to get myself to write a lot more frequently over the summer. If you have an opinion in that area about release rate, express it in the poll or something...<br>Dunno when I'll update next. I'm trying to get something else written right now, and Regular Show has been taking quite a beating on my list of favorite fandoms. On that topic, Korra never fails to satisfy me. This week and last's were absolutely fantastic. I guess writing will be something I do over vacation while I wait for my mangas to update. Sorry again for such the long wait guys!


	18. Artificial Euphoria

Regular Show and its characters belong to J.G. Quintel

* * *

><p>Maybe trying to distract himself from the cruelties of his reality wasn't the best decision at the time, but he planned to do it anyhow. Mordecai almost unwillingly entered the coffee shop, the thought of Benson's possible rage when he returned to the park frightening him.<p>

"_I'll just be a quick visit_." He told himself, entering the shop. The bell, as always, was the first to greet him with its friendly, welcoming tone. Same familiar scent of coffee beans drafting throughout the building as always. It had always been comforting to him, and to people in general he would assume. The bird didn't know if it were simply because he enjoyed the smell, or rather because it was one most commonly experienced when around Margaret. Speaking of which, the robin didn't appear to be here, at least from what he could tell.

"She's not here," a voice said, startling the blue jay. He looked down, finding a small mole at his feet, carrying a silver tray with steamy mugs atop it.

"Huh?" Was the only thing he could say in response.

"She left work early saying she wanted to take a trip to the library."

"How did you know?" The avian asked.

"Well, the two of you are dating, and it's not as if you come here for any other reason." The mole explained with a slight smile. Yet, in some unexplainable feeling, the bird could easily detect its falseness. Eileen had always been a shy girl, so this was to be expected, but, why did it strike a nerve so much? _Perhaps... _

"That's not true," he defended, slightly concerned about the small girl's perception on things. "Sometimes I come here for coffee of course."

"So, you wouldn't happen to want a cup, would you?"

"Well... no." The blue jay answered skittishly, Eileen shocking him with a giggle in response.

"Well, there's my proof. Anyhow, you best catch up to her before she leaves."

"Uh... yeah," Mordecai said exiting from the shop as the bell gave its goodbyes. He took one last look at Eileen through the glass door, and left. It would just be another unimportant and easily forgotten snippet of his life.

* * *

><p>It was a somewhat troublesome venture to search for the library, a place that the bird had never once expected to enter. The memories of his adolescent school days causing a shiver to run up his spine as the old, familiar atmosphere played out in front of him. Coming here would have never been of his own will in those days. Endless, towering rows of shelves stacked with nothing but books ran through the hushed building.<p>

Now came the hard part of tracking down the robin. He couldn't help but let out a sigh of defeat, simply being able to contact her via phone would make for much more convenience. Not that Benson would supply him with another once he was to find out the previous had been lost. Thank God for the lack of social contact between the two of them, else he'd have found out long ago. It was a measurably awkward act to peek his head into row by row, trying his hardest to appear as if he were browsing. Eyes locked attentively on any trace of red he could find, and while he reconsidered the act of searching, he decided asking around wouldn't be much better.

After searching for what seemed like hours until he came upon the robin in a far back isle carefully examining the spines of books with an intent gaze. The blue jay found himself staring at the bird in all her elegance, and immediately propped up in embarrassment to approach her.

"Uh- hey!" he greeted with a wave, drawing the female's attention up and away from the shelf. Margaret saw the avian and gave him a warm smile.

"Hey!" She said in return, heading towards Mordecai. There was a brief hug before the two separated, and the blue jay found himself unresponsive as his head grew more and more numb.

"I hope I'm not bothering you by coming by." He said apologetically, "but I know we didn't get to do anything yesterday due to that crazy weather..."

"Oh yeah! Can you believe that? And then it was all gone by this morning."

"Yeah... _real_ crazy..." The bird said, fading off. "So..?"

"Sure thing! Unfortunately I'm a little busy at the moment," the robin said in gesture of the books. "But I'll be sure to call you- the park later when I figure out some free time."

"Yeah, what are you here for?"

"I was just looking for a recipe book of sorts."

"Oh really? For what?"

"Tea," the robin said, going back to her book expedition.

"I could help you if you want." The blue jay offered, earning a giggle out of the other avian.

"I swear I'm in the right place, they just aren't here. None of them are checked-out either..."

"Well, I'll go ahead and check the next row for you. What's a title?"

"Any of them will do, really. Thanks a bunch." Margaret responded appreciatively.

Mordecai headed off confidently in search; said confidence would only soon slip through his fingers as each book proved to be of no assistance. He refused to give up though, determinate to help his _girlfriend_. Oh, how good it felt to now view her as that, and while their relationship had only just begun, he could see a bright future for the two of them. Anyhow, after all the time he had put into watching her from afar, he sure hoped so.

_**"**__Tea_,_ tea_,_ tea_..."Each book just became one disappointment after another, and before the blue jay knew it, he was at the end of the row. "_Time to move onto the next_…"

He continued on, refusing to give in, even as his eyes grew drier and drier. Why was it so hard to find ONE book, ANY book for tea recipes? The bird eventually let out that familiar sigh of defeat before looking over at Margaret in the parallel row, searching vigorously, yet wearing a smile as if it were fun. She looked so cute, smile like a ray of summer sun. The robin was easily the most beautiful-

"GAH!" Mordecai let out internally, air knocked out of him as a hard object slammed into the back of his skull, throwing him tumbling onto the floor. The blue jay rubbed at the stinging sensation on the back of his head, practically able to feel the throbbing bruise beginning to form. He picked himself up of the floor, using the shelf for support, and glad to find that for some odd reason, Margaret hadn't even noticed. To add onto that, she appeared to have moved onto the next row, luckily not able to see the incident that had just unfolded. A lone book lay on the floor, the obvious culprit of the crime.

"_Recipe book_..?"Was what the bird assumed, picking up the heavy, old book. To his surprise, it actually appeared to be some compilation of time theories, at least, that's all he could make it out to be. '_The Temporal and Spacial Thesis_'it read, slightly confusing the avian with its vocabulary. Flipping through the pages packed with large columns of small text, he could easily tell that this had nothing to do with what he was looking for. Mordecai turned around, obviously no sign of the culprit anymore. Lucky them. The bird wouldn't have hesitated to strike out in violence over something like this. Then, a page caught his attention. Flipping slowly back through, he found a diagram of a familiar watch printed onto a thin page. No doubt about it, the familiarity with the pocket watch back at home unquestionably confirmed.

"_Why has all this been happening_..?"Mordecai thought, turning back around and poking his head out of the row in search once more. Giving another look at the book in his hand; it could be of serious use to him given his current situation, but was he supposed to interpret this entirely out of coincidence, or was there someone who knew about his troubles? None of this made sense, even if someone-

"What'd you find there?" Margaret asked, peeking over the blue jay's shoulder at the book, nearly scaring him to death.

"Oh, uh-" The robin let out a giggle at the blue jay's inability to compose a response and obvious embarrassment.

"About the recipe book, by the way," she began, pulling the object out from behind her back and presenting it to the other avian, "I finally found it. Someone had misplaced it..."

"Haha, glad I could help." Mordecai said sarcastically with his famous award smile, the robin rewarded him with a smile in return.

"Thanks so much for your _effort_." She said, giving the blue jay a hug from behind, where he could thankfully hide his deepening blush. The two laughed loudly together, earning many shushes from around the building, but Mordecai couldn't be happier. Even if it were only a split second of bliss, it meant substantially more when joy had seemingly been evading him.

* * *

><p>The avian walked out of the library, carrying the heavy book that he regrettably checked-out, and quickly began to make his way back to the park. The robin remained within the library, saying that there were still some other things she needed to find. Each step caused it to slip more until it eventually fell out of his hand, causing the blue jay to frantically catch in before impact with the ground. Eventually making it back to the park, Mordecai took precautionary measures to look out for a certain gumball machine equip with clipboard and mounted on a golf cart. Coast was clear, and the bird ran back to the house, controlling his steps so as to make as little noise as possible. The eerie quietness of the park only created more anxiety and nervousness as Mordecai made his way closer to the house. If he could make it inside and to his chore list, he might be able to pass off as a slacker rather than having ditched; he tip-toed up the stairs, grieving over each individual creak until the screeching grind pierced his eardrums and nearly gave him a heart attack.<p>

"Nice of you to show up," Benson said as the bird exhaled heavily and turned to face his boss.

"Sorry Benson, I was bus-"

"With what? Work comes first if you want to keep your job!"

"I had to... go to the library." Mordecai said, the gumball machine's rage filled face transforming into one of humor. His laughter burst through the tranquil environment until the blue jay exposed the thick book to him. Upon seeing it, his cackling stopped, and he looked upon the book with confusion. Benson approached the bird, taking the book from his hand and looking over it, then flipping through the pages.

"What did you need this for?" He asked with suspicion.

"Well, I need to fix this whole issue with the weather and whatnot?"

"Wait..." Benson began, "are you saying you're the one responsible for yesterday?"

"_Oh_... _right_..."The bird had never had this conversation with the other male, let alone any detail about his current situation.

"Uh, I-"

"Oh great! What'd you do this time?" The gumball machine yelled angrily, heaving the book at the avian, hitting him square in the chest and sending him a few steps backwards.

"Benson-"

"Do you realize that because of the snow, we're an entire day behind on work?"

"I'm sorry, I-"

"Oh, you're _going _to be sorry when I pile up all the work that _should have_ gotten done up on your schedule!" Mordecai's attempts to reason with the male were proving to drop dead rather quickly. He couldn't get a word in edgewise to defend himself as his boss endlessly bickered on and on. When the bird thought he had found an opening in Benson's bombardment of threats, he tried an attempt.

"Listen, I'm trying really hard to fix it. Trust me, it affects me the most." The blue jay rationalized, exposing the countdown to the gumball machine. He looked at it curiously, but didn't drop his rage in the slightest. Rather, subtle hints of a sadistic grin began to form on his glass face, but to Mordecai's surprise, it fell to a frown, and the fires of wrath began to fuel back up.

"WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO REALIZE THAT YOUR MISTAKES AFFECT _OTHER_ PEOPLE AS WELL?" He spouted, the bird feeling as if he had this conversation with the male before. That aside, it was true that this probably would harm him the most. The avian was the one with a ticking time-bomb of unknown disaster implanted within his skin after all.

The yelling ceased, and the silence returned. Birds were too afraid to continue their song at this point, fearful of being shot down by the gumball machine's intolerance. Even the wind itself seemed to halt, refusing to bother Benson in his moment of pent-up frustrations. The gumball machine let out a stressful exhale, and then looked the other male dead in the eyes.

"Go get ready," he said quietly. "Then meet me back out here for your workload." Benson climbed back up into the seat of the golf cart, and quickly drove off elsewhere. The blue jay continued his way up the stairs and opened the front door, giving it a slight slam behind him.

"_He thinks he's the only one with stress around here_." Shouldn't he be able to do all that he can to prevent this countdown from ending? Obviously, a good thing would not come out of such an event; rather, his death would most likely be the result, and so what? Benson would probably shrug it off like he did Rigby, and hire someone else to fill his place.

The avian opened the door to his unchanged room, and tossed the book carelessly onto the bed. He decided that he would face the gumball machine's punishment like as much as a man he could credit himself to. What's the worst he can manage anyhow..?

Foolish.

* * *

><p>After a few hours, the cracks in the bird's slowly breaking spirit restlessly spread. While the temperature remained at its cool state, the amount and sheer difficulty of the work itself made up for such. What Benson had basically done in a nutshell was give everyone the rest of the day off, transferring the unfinished work to Mordecai. Skips was the one who had the most work already finished, but the uncompleted tasks proved to be the hardest of all. Since the yeti was the one to do the most, if not all heavy work in the park, the blue jay was completely exhausted after one mere assignment. It didn't help that Muscle Man and High Five Ghost had barely any of their work done themselves.<p>

Doug offered to his share of the work himself, claiming that he was almost done anyhow, but Benson refused. He wanted the bird's hard work to help him learn, or some other complete garbage excuse of similar properties. The otter apologized to Mordecai on several occasions throughout his back-breaking work shift, to which all Mordecai confirmed that he wasn't at all upset. While he was dying on the inside, over heating as his muscles grew tired, he refused to show that Benson was getting to him. The avian didn't want the gumball machine to have the satisfaction from any of his pain, so when he finished, the blue jay wiped the sweat from his brow with a cocky smile. His boss' response was a mere grunt of contempt frustration before heading off to gather his things and take his leave.

The day had quickly passed by, the sun already dropping into the Earth and the stars beginning to reveal themselves. Dinner had already taken place without the avian, Benson denying him the opportunity to eat until he had completed job, so the bird ate the remaining food by himself. After a quick and cool shower to control his heat and cleanse his sweat, the blue jay came to find Doug cleaning the bird's room.

"I hope you don't mind," the otter said with an anxious smile, "I wanted to make sure you were comfortable after all that work." It was hard to believe this was the same immature mammal that had been employed at the park in the past. He had definitely changed over that time...

"I think it's funny that you apologize for cleaning. What could I possibly be upset about?" The avian said, falling onto his bed. He noticed that Doug had neatly placed his book on the nearby nightstand, but feeling under his pillow, the bird realized the mammal hadn't moved the watch from its place.

"Hehe," the otter chuckled with a cheeky grin, one that could easily be worn by Rigby himself. Mordecai sat there in a trance of though induced by even the slightest of resemblances. Why? He hadn't thought about the raccoon after leaving the amusement park. His time spent with Margaret was like cleaning the slate of his day, and starting anew.

"What?" Doug asked questionably. The bird hadn't realized that he was full-on staring at the other male, an apologized immediately.

"Sorry, you just looked... a lot like Rigby." The blue jay said, trying to cover up his embarrassment.

"I bet I can sound like him too." The mammal said in the same tone as the Rigby he had talked with earlier today. That same whiny, high-pitched voice that the avian had now come to treasure in a way; and then, a thought came to mind. A _very_, _very_, _VERY _embarrassing thought at that, leaving Mordecai helpless to another onslaught of crimson to his cheeks.

"What?" Doug asked again in his own voice, clearly confused by the other male's returning blush.

"Eh. Nothing..."

"Don't give me that," the mammal said. "Really, what is it?" Was it just the mere fact that he could duplicate the raccoon's voice that was pestering him? Or maybe...

"I was just thinking, about how you can sound like Rigby, right?"

"Obviously," the other male said, returning back to striped mammal's tone.

"Say, erm... 'I forgive you,'" the blue jay said, immediately turning away from eye contact as heat spread through his body. Doug did as he was told, and repeated the words. As the mammal said it, Mordecai closed his eyes to imagine the raccoon in front of him.

"Now, uh... say, 'I miss you.'"

"I miss you..." The otter said, with a little more emotion this time as well. He was definitely beginning to catch on. "That it?" The smaller male said after a few moments of awkward silence. Mordecai sputtered a bit, but was eventually able to compose himself.

"Yeah," he said, beginning to tuck himself in. "Just shut the light off on your way out I guess." The mammal made his way to the door and flipped the lights off, and pulled the door closed with him. He left a little crack to remain open, allowing light to slip through.

"I love you." He whispered, the bird's heart skipping a beat with unexpected excitement. The mammal left and the bird was alone in the darkness, easily able to visualize the raccoon and the sweet mask of blush he would be wearing if said words were to ever pass through his lips.

He didn't feel so... alone anymore. Rather than decided to be conflicted over these things, he just accepted them as they were. He slowly started to accept these feelings buried deep within him. He slowly started to accept _himself_.


	19. Stirring in an Autumn Moon

Regular Show and its characters belong to J.G. Quintel

* * *

><p>I'm always constantly closing my eyes, and slowly feeling myself drift away from this world, and to a new one of only fantasies. Yet, when I open my eyes back up, I find the cruelty of reality to be only worse than how I left it.<p>

* * *

><p>Rigby made his way down the line of cold and barren pavement, watching his feet as he did so. His head hung in what was ultimately disappointment in himself, heavy doses of regret and a sprinkle of frustration as well. The paths of wet fur that streamed down from his eyes felt like burning wounds in the cold autumn night air. He could never accept the mistakes he had made before, but this one looked to be a keeper, the raccoon unable to do anything.<p>

_"It's okay..."_ He thought. It wasn't as if he was leaving the blue jay alone either, he had Skips, Pops, Benson, even Muscle Man and High Five Ghost. The avian always had Margaret and Eileen too, but what did that leave him with? Could he even keep the remnant friends from this life he had seemingly left? Or was he supposed to start anew, go out and find new companions and abandon the memories he treasured in hopes to relieve some pain? It was all just so confusing...

The mammal's thin and feeble arms could barely even carry the crammed suitcase that he dragged along behind him. Rigby didn't want to burden anyone with even a memento of himself, he'd done enough damage already. How would Mordecai even handle this? Benson seemed shocked at first, but he didn't even put up the slightest disposition against the raccoon's decision. Sure, the mammal was probably the least valuable person in terms of working ability, but he had hoped at least one person would've tried to stop him.

Cold wind blew harshly against his body, almost telling him to turn back, to return to the park and continue to stir up trouble for all its inhabitants. Rigby was freezing, his coat of fur proving to be of no use, and paw-pads growing numb from the chilling earth beneath him. Deciding to take a break, the raccoon decided to rest at a bench on the sidewalk, opening up his suitcase and digging through to try and find some warm garments.

"Where am I even going?" Rigby muttered to himself, looking up at the bright moon in the sky. Undeniably a beautiful thing to grace the night with its pale face, carrying along its friendly star-friends with it. The evening was always the mammal's favorite time of day, and he had always thought this to be owed to his own nocturnal instincts. Finally retrieving a sweater from his jumbled mess of clothing, and slamming the suitcase shut as best he could, the raccoon quickly dressed himself. A few moments later until he realized what it was: the same crimson sweater he and Mordecai had worn before embarking on another one of their wondrous adventures.

"That's right," He whispered to himself, averting his vision back up to the luminous white orb in the sky, "I've been there..." Honestly hard to believe such a crazy story to be true, even having experienced it himself. Every day with Mordecai was one to be filled with unbelievable adventures, and admittedly hardships at times. Maybe _that _was what he had come to love about his friend more than any other all this time. That while the bird may have _tried_ to create a grasp on normality, no matter how hard he tried, the supernatural always seemed to find a way.

_"Normal's boring..."_

"Certainly is." A voice responded in Rigby's ear, causing him to jolt back in shock. He looked frantically to the lean rabbit seated beside him, the bright cinders from his cigaret glowing dimly as he inhaled.

"W-What the hell? Who are you?" The scared mammal yelled, grabbing his things and jumping off the bench and away from the stranger.

"Ooh, that's a toughie." He responded in a much sweeter voice, the form sickeningly melting down and rearranging it's form into that of a small feline girl. Rigby could only fall backwards in fear as the monstrosity continued to shift into a much larger body that took up the entire bench, the sounds of flesh stretching and joints popping ringing in the mammal's ears. The now large and muscular hyena let out a fit of sharp laughs that pierced through the calm night like a swift blade. The raccoon's eyes refused to open any wider, screams choked up in throat and tears beginning to once again build up in his eyes. The wild dog finished his bout of giddy joy, and took another inhale of smoke, turning to give the frightened smaller male a wide and devilish smile.

"_What_... are you?" Rigby coughed through heavy sobs, his eyes growing tired from his relentless crying that day. The other mammal continued his harsh stare, his blood-red eyes glowing through the dark and almost torturing the raccoon with his gaze.

"I'll tell ya what. How's about you let me use that pretty little face of yours for some fun if you're just gonna give up on life."

"What are you talking about?" The stranger answered the small mammal as it slowly reshaped itself into the shape of a small raccoon. Rigby looked in horror, it was almost as if he were in front of a mirror. This had to be a dream, but when the hell was he going to wake up? _Dream..._

* * *

><p>The raccoon's eyes shot open as his body twitched in fear. He looked fearfully around his bedroom, the starry walls and ceiling giving off the same atmosphere as the horrendous event that haunted him like a spiteful spirit. Rigby let out a deep sigh of relief as his heartbeat slowed down, wiping away the tears that budded in the corners of his eyes. All he wanted was one night without that dream. How he wished that was all it was; a dream.<p>

The mammal rolled over in his bed, looking out the large window across the room and into the sky. Hazy light shone from behind the dense blanket of clouds that tightly huddled together. The night brought out nothing but the suppressed fear in him, saddening the male for such a treasured thing to become plagued with horror. His eyes slowly began to droop shut.

_"I'm sure Mordecai is sleeping like a baby."_ No matter how much either Rigby or the bird wanted that thought to be true, it was indeed false. How _very _false.


	20. Sword of Valiant

_Let's try this again..._

The bird's eyes opened, revealing to him the world from the previous nights dream. Again with the same checkered floor and sky-high pillars, all as if he had never left. Dreams were barely dreams anymore, almost as if he were only shutting his eyes for a split second, and then reopening them to find himself in these alternate planes of reality. It felt so _real_ after all.

"About time you woke up." The floating clock greeted, spiraling around the sleepy avian.

"This _again_?" Mordecai groaned, rubbing at his eyes. This barely even felt like sleep...

"Well of course, you failed miserably on your last attempt."

"I didn't know what I was supposed to do!"

"Because you didn't _LISTEN_." Father Time retorted back, flying forward to ram the blue jay in the fore head. Mordecai let out a wince of pain, then swinging his wing at the clock in irritation. Father Time easily evaded all of the bird's attempts at a revenge blow until the blue jay eventually gave up.

"Fine then. What am I supposed to do?"

"First, get up off your lazy butt..." The avian rolled his eyes, but obeyed, and rose to his feet. The clock rose to now match the greater eye-level of male, then beginning to head towards the center of the column circle. Mordecai followed, looking around at his surroundings, though it was not as if anything had changed since his last visit.

"This is the terminal core." Father Time stated, orbiting around the glowing blue orb atop the high pedestal, "but since you're not all that familiar with the terminology of this subject, or anything for that matter, I'll try my best to elaborate so that your _simple _mind can comprehend it."

"Go ahead," the avian responded, crossing his arms tightly to hold back his building rage aggravation. He would do his best to remain calm, and listen to his objectives. Ultimately, making Father Time mad as well wouldn't result well in any scenario, so he dared not test it.

"Within this core lies all the dreams ever dreamed, or any yet to be dreamed. It contains an almost infinite amount of subconscious realities, all almost like their own personal universe."

"But I'm dreaming right now, so how is that possible? A dream within a dream- no, infinite dreams within a dream."

"Whoa, let's not get carried away here. This isn't some form of inception, and you certainly aren't dreaming." _Not dreaming...?_

"What do you mean I'm 'not dreaming'?" The avian asked, now confused, and a little concerned. If this truly weren't a dream... where was he?

"Well, for now, you aren't. However, once you enter the terminal core, you will be. For now, you are within a closed-off dimension in between all others; a _purgatory _of sorts, if you will." The clock explained, resulting in nothing but more confusion from the blue jay.

"How did I even get here then? The last thing I did before I got here was fall asleep in my bed at the park." Didn't he? His memories seemed to be weak at the moment.

"The watch?" Father Time asked, earning a look from the bird. "You fell asleep with it didn't you? When you do such a thing, rather than entering the terminal core and _dre__aming_, your soul is transported here, to _this_ dimension, outside the core."

"Wait! What? My soul?"

"Yes, right now your body is nothing more than a lump of flesh and bones." The clock responded calmly, as if this were just another everyday conversation.

"So, I'm d-dead?"

"Technically, yes, but there's nothing here that can harm you; so your soul will return safe and sound without worry."

"B-but still!" Mordecai was getting worried now. He was dead. What if Benson or Pops were to walk in? Find him like that? Would he return in time, or would he return to reality to find himself buried alive in casket. He had done this once before though, so he had nothing to worry about… right?

"Now, now. Don't worry about it. We need to move along quickly, I'm not very patient, in case you couldn't tell."

"Pff," the bird let out, rolling his eyes once more with a smirk.

"You're going to be entering your dream. Within there, you need to find yourself and make _contact_."

"How do I do that? Last time I went into that _dreamworld _or whatever, I could see what I _think_ was myself, but it was under the water. How am I supposed to get to it if I can't manage breaking through until I'm dead?" That's how it had happened, if he recalled correctly. The ice had flown at him like bullets, slashing and tearing his flesh, inflicting pain that had felt all too real. The avian looked down at his still bandaged hand, wounds still hurting, but slowly healing as well. He didn't know why he had lashed out, why he had punched that mirror. Maybe it was just the mere inability to accept that he _might_-... No.

"Obviously there's something that's been bothering you lately." Father Time cut in, waking the bird from his thoughts.

"Sort of... but I mean, it's not really that big a-"

"It obviously must be." The clock interrupted, causing the blue jay to momentarily flare up, anger quickly dying down once more with a few deep and slow breaths. "There's really nothing else more I need to tell you for now. Just remember that you must be willing to accept everything about _yourself_ to fully understand _yourself_."

Mordecai didn't say anything, rather, pondered his ability to actually do such a thing. He was alone in his dream; maybe that would make it easier on him. The bird still wasn't completely sure about what this _problem_ was, but he had a few good guesses. It would be the reason why he was here in the first place, wouldn't it? What got him in this mess would be the same thing to get him out.

The avian couldn't help but frown as the light seemed to get brighter and brighter, blinding him and filling his eyes with nothing but a harsh white. Then, there he was in the middle of the same wave-less ocean. Mordecai shivered slightly, beginning to remember the pain that he had received here. The haunting mirror that had seemed to be the cause of it all.

Mordecai knelt down, pressing his face against the solid surface of the water, and doing his best to search for this 'other self.' The water was much darker than he had remembered, and lifting his face up, he found the sun to be absent from the horizon, and in its place, a moon lay high in the sky. The clouds were now thinner as well, more like a mist of sorts that allowed for the many stars light to poke through. The moon was quite bright in its own entirety, every detail almost visible. All these lights from above bounced off the reflective surface of the sea like a mirror. Why these sudden changes though?

The blue jay got back to the reason he was here in the first place, looking back down to find writing once again on the surface of the now frozen patch of water.

'Who are you?' It asked, the words causing small doses of fear to run through him. Hesitantly placing a finger on the cold layer of frost, and spelling out his name.

'Mordecai' the name staring him in the face, then faded away. He felt his heart beating, his blood pulsing though his body, his head swooning. Yet... nothing. Nothing happened.

"_Why isn't any_-" The avian quickly fell back to avoid the slab of ice that shot up from the water, and relived his memories as the mirror drifted closer to approach him.

He allowed it to creep closer and closer to his face, it eventually stopping at a fair distance, and allowing him to see his seemingly helpless looking reflection held within it. The bird looked frightened of course, a bit tired as well, all of it understandable of course. When _was_ the last time he got to take a good look at himself anyhow? His reflection melted away in the mirror, leaving it blank until a new image began to form.

A blade was slowly created, looking almost like a detailed painting. It looked swift and agile, yet strong and unbreakable at the same time. It possessed an elegant, silver hilt with a fancy, webbed design that carried on up into the blade itself. The bird reached out to grasp it, his hand only to be blocked by the cold, glassy surface. Rather, words began to form on the mirror, making sharp screeching sounds as if someone were writing on chalkboard with a nail, grinding the letters into the surface.

'Will you accept this sword and all the responsibilities that it carries?'

"_What responsibilities_..?"Mordecai asked himself, cautiously drawing his hand away from the weapon, examining the bandages for a moment before returning to the situation. This was certainly a different outcome than before, the avian looking around, finding no ice shrapnel being launched at him. What happened if he were to say no? Would he have to face the pain once more, feeling it all up until the death that would only lead to his awakening? He wanted to ask Father Time for help, or even just a little more details on what these conditions to the acceptance would be. Or maybe this whole thing was just some sort of riddle, opening the answer possibilities up from two to near infinite chances. Ugh, now he was just over thinking the whole thing...

Mordecai's hand drew closer and closer to the mirror, eventually making contact. His finger glided across it, spelling out the simple three-letter word as carefully as possible; an easy, every day task of writing now seeming like defusing a bomb. He finished the curve to his 'S' and removed his finger from the chilly mirror.

'Yes' was his answer of course, the avian almost regretting his decision as soon as he had made it. Heart beginning to pick up speed once more, his head growing numb and his stomach tossing and turning, he remained patient of course, doing the best he could to remain calm. It wasn't like this was _real_... The words faded once more, the sword drawing closer in his direction, the blue jay almost instinctively reaching out, and taking a hold on the cool-to-the-touch grip, and pulling the it out of the mirror as if it were a portal of sorts. Mordecai's arms unexpectedly dropped, the weapon proving to be of a greater weight than anticipated. The sword fell forward, causing the surface of the water to crack like a window.

Done with its task, the mirror rose up into the sky, disappearing in the bright light of the moon. The avian struggled, but eventually managed to succeed in pulling the blade out of the water, an idea arising in his head. At the center of the moon's reflection on the sea, the blue jay managed to spot himself once more, floating beneath the surface of supposedly unbreakable liquid. Mordecai lifted the sword, arms shaking, and stabbed it directly down into the water, easily slipping through as if nothing were there.

Everything began to shake, lowering the bird down onto his knees as he became overwhelmed with fear in anticipation for the worst. He gripped tightly onto the sword; it proving to be the only source of stability nearby. A crack extended forward from the blade, the sea parting into two great walls of water. Waves violently slapped back and forth, everything now becoming much more unstable than the tranquil environment that it had appeared to be before. The avian's other-self lay on the exposed sea floor, unconscious and sprawled out on the sandy ground.

Mordecai hesitantly removed the blade from the water; the two walls remaining stable as he dropped down to the lower level, and began to approach the blue form, sword dragging behind him. The male grew frightful of the walls closing in on him, suffocating him underneath the concreted liquid.

"_Better make this quick_." The blue jay told himself, assuming there was a time limit to how long this 'magic' of sort would last. What was he honestly supposed to do at this point though? He was completely clueless on the matter, plunging the blade into the ground, and beginning to shake his unconscious self. Trying to wake him up seemed like the only logical thing... right? It was a dream after all, yet, the bird was still a little unsure of that as well. The two walls of water began to slowly close in, causing the bird to become more frantic. He violently shook the blue jay's shoulders, shouting 'wake up' desperately.

"_Maybe_..." Mordecai grasped the sword, pulling it out of the ground and raising it high above his other-self who lay flat on the ground with legs and arms sprawled out, as if he were trying to make snow angels in the sand. His abdomen left completely vulnerable while Mordecai clenched his eyes shut and pierced through his other-self's stomach. Contrary to what he had expected, no pain was felt, and the water began to freeze once more, no longer moving.

Muffled voices rang in his ears, vision began to fade, and he fell down into the sand, dropping the blade which fell alongside him. Mordecai could almost feel every essence of himself slipping away; draining out if him. His energy depleted, his breathing stopped.

_There's no turning back now. You've killed all that you once were._

_ You've rejected yourself, refusing to remain as such._

_ You'll have to make the most of this new life you'll be leading._

The bird gasped for air, an unpleasant awakening being repeated. He was safe now, in his bed at the house. The avian's blanked was wrapped around him like a serpent, leaving him to struggle a bit as it constricted him. It wasn't morning yet, his room still dark, bits of moonlight slipping through the curtains and into the house. The bird was quite surprised, having expected it to be morning already, same as all the other dreams' outcomes.

Mordecai raised his arm, the countdown still plastered on his wing, mocking him. He let out a sigh, digging out the pocket watch from beneath his head, heart almost skipping a beat in shock as a blue section greeted him upon opening. The male couldn't help but laugh in joy, finally having manage to get somewhere with this task. Three empty spaces still remained, meaning there was still a lot of work to be done...

His attention then rose to his hand, pain no longer burdening him. Mordecai removed the bandages slowly, finding himself unharmed, hand good as new. The bird wiggled his fingers around, clenched his fist a bit, everything as if he had never punched the bathroom mirror to begin with. How had his recoveries healed so quickly though? A dream didn't have any capabilities outside in the real world, did it?

At this point, the avian was convinced he was thinking the whole thing over too much. He should take this opportunity to actually get some sleep, rather than being involved in these supernatural, subconscious happenings. Mordecai made sure to set the watch _beside_ him this time, preventing the chances of re-entering the world he had just escaped. It felt as if all his troubles had been lifted off his shoulders, even if it were only this small fragment of the true problem's entirety. The blue jay closed his eyes, hoping to escape from these burdens.

He was happy. For now.


	21. The Sun Rises

Regular Show and its characters belong to J.G. Quintel.

* * *

><p>For the first time in what felt like the ages, the bird awoke naturally, allowing his eyes to slowly open and expose his surroundings. A smirk landed on his face, and he shifted around on his bed while pondering whether or not to return to sleep, eventually forcing himself up to sit on the edge of his mattress. Why was he smiling..? Mordecai took the troublesome pocket watch off its place on the nightstand, next to the massive library book that rest on the side-table as well. The contraption gave a 'click,' opening to reveal a new, and quite shiny azure shard beneath the glass.<p>

It has the numbers '10,' '11,' and '12' all neatly printed in silver digits. The fragment appeared to be no more or less than a fourth of the watch's entirety, as much was to be expected, the avian's presumptions were that these newly gained features would be the same, if not, greatly similar to the previous ones; although, this new blue piece was blank, as opposed to the preceding piece's doily-like design. Just blue accompanied by numbers appeared on this shard, and this caused questions to arise. It wasn't until now that he had realized it, feeling quite foolish for not having thoroughly remained in the night before. This only led him to assume that he perhaps hadn't quite accomplished everything that he needed to. Maybe, he missed something else that needed to be done; something that would've returned the pattern that had been there before. And why only numbers eleven through twelve? Nine would certainly have its place within that quarter, wouldn't it? Or possibly, nine lay on the line between the third and fourth. Either way, after having looked over his results, he was definitely less satisfied than he had anticipated.

A sigh was all he could bring himself to let out. Regardless to how much he could be missing, it was certain he was taking some steps in the right direction, towards fixing everything; or at least, most of it... Could it really be possible to fix _everything_? Maybe the real question was if he _willing _to do what it would take to fix everything. Mordecai put the watch under his pillow once more, concealing it from vision out of worry and suspicion. It occurred to him some time ago that while he wasn't sure exactly what this thing was capable of or even used for, someone would undeniably be out for it one way or another. He wasn't all too concerned about it being stolen, the blue jay being the only one to know about it after all. _Wasn't he?_ Nor was he concerned about his ignorance on the subject, glancing over at the hefty book. The bird should get around to reading it... but not now. Now, he wanted to take leisure in the activities that he had gone without in the past few stressful days. First, a long relaxing shower, then he'd move onto a plentiful breakfast, which the smell of drafted through the house and caused the avian to salivate uncontrollably.

The digital clock that hid behind the book attracted his attention, and while it read '9:14,' the time on his arm was the real concern here. '5:14:03,' '5:14:02,' '5:14:01,' '5:14:00,' '5:13:59.' The bird cringed at watching the time slowly drop. As mesmerizing as it was, it essentially overpowered his interest with a supernatural feel that caused him nothing but to feel uncomfortable. It was _too_ odd for him to be perfectly okay with, as was expected of really anyone put in that disposition. Though, what it really came down to in his state of mentality, was that he only had five days left before who-knows-what unfolded. He had managed one of what appeared to be four parts, so mathematically, he should only have to use three of those five days. Then again, it _had_ taken him two attempts in order to obtain the single one he currently possessed. This only led to the worry that accomplishing this would require _six_ days, double than that of three. In which case, he didn't have enough time.

Perhaps if he had a greater understanding of what he was actually doing... Mordecai turned to eye the book, giving a few second thoughts before coming to a consensus.

"_No_." He decided firmly. Today was going to be a day for him, in commemoration for his efforts paying off as much as they had; his few steps towards this all being over.

Mordecai crossed over the hall to the bathroom, inhaling a bit more of the food's voluptuous scent before closing himself in the room. He turned to face the mirror without even thinking, finding that the space on the wall was empty. The blue jay looked at his hand with question; the appendage completely healed as if it had the dream. Of course, the mirrors absence disproved that thought without question, and the bird couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed. How many people had even known of incident in the bathroom? It wasn't as if he had done his best to conceal his hand when it was injured either. What about Benson? Knowing the gumball machine, Mordecai would be the one paying for it all in the end, in both money he didn't have, and an ears worth of reprimanding lectures. _Oh well_.

On went the water, ringing through the silence that occupied the room. It almost frustrated the bird, as much as he wanted to be able to take a good look at himself. Hopefully the bags under his eyes were in the process of fading already, the extensive sleep provided by the night before leaving him with plenty of energy. He felt great. Today would be a great day, he could feel it. The male set his down within reaching distance of the shower, then hopping in behind the curtain to feel the warm cascade of rain upon his body. Mordecai slid down to tub floor, maybe nodding off a little as the liquid warmed his body, and he became engulfed in the waters soothing lullaby.

What was there to do today? Work, of course, but what else? The blue jay was still a little unsure about his standing with Skips at the moment after the unconventional outburst that occurred on that visit, but maybe he never _would _be sure. That is, he would never fully understand what it was, what he felt. In his mind, he pictured the yeti's life as waking up, doing work, going to bed, and finally waking back up at the start of the day. How torturous that would be, and how much determination and mental stamina it would require before you finally snap. This was the first the bird had ever heard of it from Skips, or even in general. Had he even told anyone else other than the blue jay? It really wasn't as if he had done it willfully; having been caught up in the moment, but it also seemed like something a person would keep to themselves. But, if everyone else woke up without remembering a thing, it's not as if anyone would fully believe him anyhow.

"Man, Skips. How long have you been living like this..?" Mordecai muttered to himself, knowing nobody would be around to hear him. The yeti had been around longer than anyone else at the park, having been here from the very start, as well as a good chunk of time before. How much regret must have formed over all those years, regret of the decision he had made to be immortal, ageless, and was it even worth it? It was no wonder the yeti was so emotionless and dry, what was there truly anything to be happy about? He had seen it all already; there was nothing to be surprised about. All this trouble to be concocted in the park, he'd already fixed hundreds of times before. Did a birthday really mean anything after you've lost track of the days, after you've lived a lot longer than age?

As mind-bending as it was, the bird couldn't help but get caught up as the lump in his throat grew. Skips had always been there for everyone, doing everything he could to make other people's lives pleasurable, while he lives in this eternal hell where life's nothing but an endless rerun. Mordecai wanted to tell the others, see if they knew about the yeti's pain already, especially Benson, but, he knew it wasn't his place to tell. And if it was as Skips had said, that green shard nullified the effects of this 'reset button' that was apparently being constantly pressed. The bird felt horrible, praying he wouldn't have to face the choice of taking it away from him, and if he did, would he even be able to muster the strength to do so?

The droplets of water pattered against the bird, droplets sticking to his feathers and embedding themselves into his barbs. He retrieved some shampoo from a side sill in the wall of the tub, and poured a fair amount into his hand, then lathering his head and body, and the fresh citrus scent permeated through the air. The smell had been encountered many times before, in terms of whenever he took a shower, so the scent no longer arose any reaction within him as it may have when he first bought the stuff; it had become_ normality_.

His scrubbing slowed as he began to drift back into thought. When would be a good time to get a good look at that book, and where to begin? It seemed so massive... Oh, and Margaret. He'd have to find the time to check in on her today, wouldn't he? No, they had a date today, didn't they? She said she'd call with more detail, so hopefully he hadn't missed anything. Quite the early bird she'd have to be to have already called today. Regardless, the blue jay wanted to land the call himself, not just try and communicate over broken messages, to hear her voice on the other end. Things had barely just started, and yet, he felt that they were going so well already. Though, at the same time, his relationship with Rigby only seemed to grow distanced. As him and the robin grew closer, the raccoon drifted off further and further in the background.

It slowly grew clearer that he needed to make his choice quickly, that he could only have one. It came down between his friendship with Rigby, and this romantic interaction with Margaret. And then there were all those second thoughts that he tried to keep locked at the back of his head... The two choices could always swap, couldn't they? Possibly... romantic interaction with Rigby, while also maintaining a stable friendship with the robin- but didn't he just say he could only have _one_? The blue jay doubted that Margaret and him would remain friends after they broke up- of course, only if such a thing occurred. He caught himself over thinking things again, returning to his scrubbing until all the suds had been washed from his body.

Mordecai turned off the water, and stepped out of the shower and onto the rug, grabbing his towel and blanketing it around himself. The blue jay exited the bathroom, not at all concerned with wrapping the cloth around his waist, seeing as how he was bare most the time anyhow. The cool air from outside surrounded him, and steam flowed out from the doorway and drifted along the ceiling. Mordecai walked across his room, and opened the curtains to gaze outside while drying himself off. It looked very similar to how he had left it the day before, no drastic changes such as being buried alive in snow. If anything, the few noticeable changes were perhaps a few more sprouting plants here and there. The tree buds were blooming, leading the bird to think of the mass amount of troublesome pollen that must be floating around out there.

Tossing the dampened towel carelessly onto his bed as often occurred; the male raced downstairs and swung himself off the banister for a quick lead into the kitchen. Pops could be found at the counter preparing the mornings meal while Skips sat at the table and looked over a newspaper. The bird couldn't help but feel a tad bit awkward around the yeti, remembering the argument once more, but he took no fear in sitting at the table alongside him.

"Good morning." The blue jay said aloud to the others.

"Oh, good morning, Mordecai!" Pops welcomed gleefully, turning his head to greet the male with a smile. Skips just gave a grunt without looking up from the paper, though, this was as he had _always_ said 'good morning,' and was to be expected. "Did you sleep well?" The lolliman asked.

"Yeah, better than I have in quite a while." The blue jay replied with a chuckle, giving a few stretches.

"Must've," the yeti added. "You've missed a few breakfasts lately."

"I know. So glad I have time for a genuine meal this morning." Mordecai said, tapping on the table with his fingers, "Benson not here yet?" He questioned, to which Skips answered a grunt 'no.'

"I do wonder what's keeping him." Pops said, cracking a few eggs, and dropping them into the frying pan where they began to sizzle. "This time is rather tardy for him."

The trio remained quiet. Almost anticipating the gumball machine to walk in at that very moment, rather, it only gave way to an awkward silence. What was there to talk about..? Mordecai was undeniably the one must uncomfortable with the situation, being the only one without something to distract him, so he decided to try and keep the conversation alive.

"Hey, where's Doug?" The blue jay asked, looking around as if he expected to find the otter hiding somewhere within the kitchen.

"Oh, he's still resting in the foyer." The lolliman said.

"On the couch in the living room," Skips translated upon noticing the avian's look of confusion. Mordecai let out a laugh before scooting away from the table and walking into the adjacent room to take a look for himself.

Not that he had doubted anyone, but what he had been told was true, coming to find the mammal in a deep sleep on the couch. A blanket was messily draped across him, about to fall off the male's small frame and onto the floor. Mordecai put no thought into readjusting the fabric to properly cover the smaller male's body, somewhat concerned as to what else to do in this situation. The otter looked so peaceful in his sleep, dare he say... cute, so he wasn't sure if waking him up would be the appropriate action. Of course, he didn't want the mammal to miss breakfast with the rest of the crew, but he could always grab some leftovers later. _Sigh_,_ what to do_.

The front door opened, nearly giving the bird a heart-attack as well as completely ruining the little 'moment' he was having. In walked a rather frustrating-looking gumball machine, but that was just typical Benson for ya'. The machine walked right past the bird, not even sparing a glance, and walking into the kitchen with his clipboard tightly gripped in his hand. Mordecai decided to tag along, and followed his boss into the kitchen to join the others.

Benson took a seat at the table beside Skips, and across from the seat which Mordecai had sat in, setting his clipboard down on the table and rubbing at the temples on his glass head.

"Sorry for being late you guys," he said in an apologetic but also irritated tone. "Traffic was horrendous this morning, I'm sure I nearly broke the horn to my car from honking at all those idiots who need to stay off the road." Negativity spread throughout the room quickly, but it seemed that the blue jay was the only one to feel it. Pops remained as happy as always, while Skips showed no sign of emotion... as always. "I'm actually impressed you're already up." Benson said, looking at the blue jay with a raised brow.

"Slept really well, I guess." The bird explained, taking back his seat across from the gumball machine. The yeti closed up the newspaper, and held it out to the metallic male who gladly took it and began to look over it. Pops brought over some mugs, and poured them full of coffee, distributing them among the three males.

"I saw Doug appears to be doing the same. You best not be keeping him up at night, he certainly works more t-"

"I get it, Benson. I think he's just tired." Mordecai interrupted.

"Anyways," the gumball machine began, setting the newspaper down on the wooden table and letting out a deep exhale of pent-up stress; almost contaminating the air with pessimism. "I guess now's as good a time to tell you two as ever." The gumball machine stated, gesturing towards the yeti and blue jay. "Pops, I assume you've already been informed?" To which the lolliman gave a small and shameful nod without even turning to face the others or speak a word.

"What is it, Benson?" Skips asked in his gruff voice.

"From where we're standing now, it looks as if the park will be closing soon." Mordecai spat out a bit of his coffee onto the table, choking on the molten liquid as it singed his throat and tongue. Benson glared at him, wiping a bit of the coffee off his face with a nearby napkin. "Lovely."

"What do you mean 'closing'?"

"... I mean closing. What part of that don't you understand?"

"But why-?"

"We've had this discussion before already; I'm not going to waste my time in restating what you failed to pay attention to the first time." The gumball machine lectured, handing a few napkins to the bird so that he could wipe up the mess he created.

"You said 'bankruptcy' last time, why is it 'closing' now?"

"Same reasons," Benson stated, sliding the newspaper across the table to the avian. "I'm telling you now so you can begin searching for your replacement job. I've been doing the same as well, but it might be a little more effective to you and Skips since you both live _in_ the park."

"Can you not ask Mr. Maellard to reconsider things?" Skips asked, taking a sip of his coffee and remaining as cool and collected as ever.

"I'm afraid not. You know how difficult it is to talk to that man." The gumball machine explained, "And I doubt he'd ever take my side on a situation of this proportion."

"I guess..." Mordecai muttered, throwing away the dirtied napkins with a skillful toss into the bin. "What'll happen to the house?"

"As much as he wants to keep living here, he thinks it's best if he moves elsewhere and sells the parks land in its entirety..."

"Who's he selling the park to?" The blue jay asked curiously.

"Well, I'm not sure to _whom_ exactly," said the gumball machine. "But I do know it'll be used for an amusement park..? I'm still not entirely sure though." The word struck Mordecai again, and so once more, coffee spouted from his mouth, splattering over the table again, less of it appearing to get on Benson this time, _thankfully_. The gumball machine just gave an intensified glare of almost disbelief, and scooted the whole pile of napkins in the bird's direction in exaggeration.

"Is it for that _other_ amusement park further into the city?" Mordecai asked loudly in surprise, the others just giving him a confused look as to why the sudden shock.

"I don't know. I wasn't even aware that there already _was_ an amusement park here in the city."

"Yeah, that's where Rigby works now!"

"Ah, so you've been skipping work to go have fun at an amusement park with Rigby?"

"NO!" Mordecai yelled, his sudden outburst shocking both the other males at the table, who looked at him now with wide eyes. "How dare you even say that so insensitively, that I'm 'skipping to go have fun,' when I'm really over there trying desperately to get my damn best friend back! Could you lighten up a little? I already have enough stress as it is without you verbally attacking me every time we see each other!" He finished, slamming his fist down on the table with a loud _bang_.

The awkward silence ensued once more as both Skips and Benson remained frozen like statues, the bird giving a few angry huffs for breath, all this to only be stopped by Pops. The lolliman brought over several plates with a hefty amount of breakfast piled high on each of them, and handling them out much like he did the coffee.

"Breakfast is ready!" The old man squealed happily, everyone just giving him an odd look as to his unexpected reaction. He acted as if he hadn't heard a word of the argument, as if it never happened. How he was able to overlook seemingly all negativity in the world, no one would ever know. "Shall I go and fetch Doug?"

"Might as well." Benson said, the lolliman then skipping happily into the other room and leaving the bunch to themselves. Mordecai didn't really know what to do in this situation other than refrain from looking up from his breakfast. It was such the bright idea to take back his seat across from the gumball machine.

"_Now's as good a time as ever I suppose_..." The bird thought, sliding the newspaper out from underneath his plate to flip through the job offerings.

"Mordecai," Benson started, drawing the avian's attention, as well a little fear and hesitation, "I'm sorry." The bird could tell from the look on his face, one that was rarely ever shown, that he meant it, that it was sincere. It left the blue jay without words, and unable to respond, but the two knew the mutual forgiveness didn't require words. Skips gave a small grin from the corner of the bird's eyes, and the atmosphere grew intensely more friendly as time passed by, and conversations began to open up.

Pops reentered the room, a drowsy otter trailing along behind him.

"Good morning everyone," Doug said, rubbing at his sleepy eyes and trying to mat down his severe case of bed-head. They all gave their different variations of 'good morning' in return, the mammal scooting out a chair to take a seat next to Mordecai, his tail brushing up against the avian slightly. Pops brought over a plate for Doug, and himself, sitting next to Benson across from the otter.

"I hope you all enjoy the meal!" Pops said happily, everyone giving him reassuring grunts as they feasted on the tasteful food together, all of them wearing content smiles on their faces. The avian turned to look at the mammal beside him, who was taking a bit out of a crisp strip of bacon. The two exchanged a friendly smile before returning to their meals. Doug's smile reminded the bird a lot of Eileen's from yesterday at the coffee shop. How... _plastic_ it was. Mordecai always felt like he was missing something that everyone else already knew, but just hadn't let him in on. Of course, he always had some secrets of his own... but maybe, those weren't even secrets either. Maybe people already knew them. _Rigby_..._ I wish you knew_.


	22. Defection

I do not own Regular Show, or its characters. They belong respectively to J.G. Quintel.

* * *

><p>After breakfast was over, there was no time to spare, and work began immediately. Mordecai was intent on actually accomplishing his tasks, knowing that getting on Benson's good side for the day would benefit him greatly when it came time for his date with Margaret. Which reminded him, what where they even going to do? She had told him to wait for the call, but the bird still wasn't sure if he was the one supposed to come up with the plans.<p>

"Hey Mordecai, you okay?" Doug asked, drawing the bird out of his state of thought that he often got lost in.

"Oh- uh, yeah." The blue jay replied, the other male giving him a doubtful and questioning look, "Just thinking about stuff I guess."

"About what?" Doug asked, entering the garden shed to retrieve the tool for their next task at hand; the lawn mower. Unfortunately, the push-mower at that. Benson wasn't still all that completely competent in allowing the blue jay to be in command of the riding one, even without Rigby.

"Well, as far as I know, I have a date with Margaret today."

"Ooh, ladies man are we?" The mammal cooed as he pulled the machine out of the dark wooden shack, struggling to drag it behind him. Mordecai assisted his coworker, to which the otter gladly thanked him for and began to start it up, giving several forceful tugs until the engine started up, and the scent of gasoline ran rampant through the air.

"Except I'm still really unsure about _what_ exactly it is we'll be doing." The avian explained, raising his voice to talk over the roaring engine of the mower.

"What did you have in mind?" Doug asked, taking a seat on the front of the contraption much like the raccoon would in this situation.

"Well, what about I take her out to eat?" Mordecai suggested, beginning to push the machine forward and mow alongside the pathway in a straight line. The other male's seating wasn't all too much of an inconvenience; the mammal practically weighing no more than a small child.

"I guess that's okay. Pretty generic though, do you even have the money for it?"

"Ugh." The avian let out in frustration, continuing further down the line. He had completely forgotten that factor. The blue jay didn't even have enough money to pay a visit to Rigby at the amusement park without having some odd and clearly mental stranger purposefully attaching money to him, let alone take the robin out for a fancy dinner. Then the real question of 'what _COULD_ he do without any money' surfaced in his mind. This was the girl of his dreams, the girl he'd been chasing after for years. He wanted this first date to be memorable, and in the _good_ way.

"What is it?"

"Well," The bird began, struggling slightly to match his voice with the mower's thundering engine, "I'm a little weak in the financial department right now, and I don't get paid until the end of the month."

"Ah," Doug said with a sigh, turning around to face the avian on the roaring machine, "Well, how about we make a deal?"

"What kind of deal?"

"How about you do the rest of the work while I go out and get you some stuff for your date tonight? You could have it here at the park I bet."

"Would you really do that?" Mordecai asked in shock of disbelief. Him and the otter really hadn't been working together for that long a period of time, yet for him to be willing to do this for him anyways... Though, the bird had to admit that they had been through a lot, this emotional roller coaster over the loss of Rigby leading to his often instability. It almost sickened him; the though of how all of this was going, how little he could do to try and fix this. The bird had been telling himself that he just wasn't trying hard enough, but it really seemed that maybe... there was no solution.

"-And," Doug added, calling back the avian's attention, "A favor."

"What's the favor?"

"Can I get back to you on that?" The blue jay became slightly hesitant, unsure as to whether or not he should accept this offer. Then again, it seemed he had been put in this situation before, remembering back to his dream. That had seemed like life or death though... the solution to this whole problem with the pocket watch depending on it. This was only over a date with Margaret, but that was just as important, wasn't it?

"Sure, I guess." Mordecai responded, blindly accepting the offer. The otter gave him a smile, and the pair continued on with their labor, mowing row by row until Pops called out to the blue jay through his office window. Doug gave him a nod, and Mordecai went to go check on the lolliman while the otter continued the mowing.

"What is it?" The bird called up to Pops.

"You've got a call from Margaret!"

_"Speak of the devil..."_ The blue jay thought, glancing back to Doug. How long did he have until their deal would need to be put into action? He would just have to try his best to postpone it if given the opportunity...

"Okay Pops, I'll be right up in a sec!"

"No, wait! Stay there!" The lolliman said, retreating his bulbous head back into the house. Mordecai stood there, looking up at the empty window with confusion, a phone swigging down and nearly clubbing him in the head.

"What the heck Pops?" Mordecai yelled, being sure to watch his tone as well as language.

"My dearest of apologies!" The lolliman called back, dangling the phone by its curled cord. The bird hesitantly picked up the handset, placing it to the side of his face and plugging his opposite ear to quiet the mower as best he could.

"Hello?" Mordecai asked, listening intently for the other end's reply.

"Hey Mordecai! It's Margaret!" The voice said joyfully, bringing a faint smile to the blue jay's beak. She even seemed just as radiant over the phone as she did in person...

"So, what's up?"

"Just calling to see what we're doing today, if that's alright." Just as he had anticipated; he should've been the one planning the whole time. Not that much of a twist to him, he must've just misunderstood the robin's wording when she had said she'd call him.

"Uh..." The blue jay began hesitantly. What was he supposed to say? As much as he wanted to take her to a fancy retaurant for the first date he'd prayed for over the many years, it didn't look like such a thing would happen. What was _she_ personally expecting? Would she just laugh at him when he asked if she wanted to hang out at the park? "I was, er, wondering..." He paused, questioning whether or not he should even ask, or come up with something. _Maybe he shouldn't lie so much... _

"Would you be cool with just... hanging out at the park or something?" The bird asked, every second silence between them gnawing away at him as the pit in his stomach grew.

"Sure thing! What time?" Margaret asked, seemingly not at all disappointed by the avian's rather _pathetic _idea for a date.

"Er, really any time you want!" Mordecai reassured, not that he would be doing much else anyhow...

"Okay, sounds great! I'll be there later tonight, probably around... five-ish?"

"Sure, sure! See you tonight!"

"Love you." The robin said, then hanging up and leaving Mordecai breathless. She had used the words he struggled to say so casually and carefree. His and Margaret's relationship must be progressing a lot faster than he had expected to have reached this point already. Her and Doug were truly beginning to befuddle him...

"Okay Pops!" The bird yelled, the lolliman then reeling the phone back up to the window and returning to his work. That was that, leaving only the remaining work in the way of tonight's plans.

Mordecai quickly hustled over the the otter, who struggled to push the mower with his pitiful height. The bird took over and allowed the mammal a break.

"All set." The blue jay said with a smile, Doug giving him a thumbs up to congratulate the bird.

"So, what did you want?"

"Just some dinner stuff would be the main thing, I guess."

"Like what?" The otter asked, causing the bird to think of classy wines with five-star meals in a candle lit room. The wine seemed reasonable at least, they were both obviously old enough... but he didn't want to come off as an alcoholic either- or imply that she was either. It just seemed like the classy thing to do was all.

"Uh, some wine..." Mordecai began, "Cheapest you can find..." He added.

"Why?"

"It's at your expense, so I don't really want to hold you for much."

"Don't worry about it." Doug said. _Why did he seem so willing in all of this? _"Anything else?" Hmm... what else was there? Sure there was plenty of stuff already around the house, but there was more to a date than just dinner.

"Well I really don't know what to say... there's not really much I can prepare myself."

"I could always cook for you." The otter offered. _SO willing._ The bird let out a sigh, feeling that he was pushing the payoffs of their short-term friendship a little further than he should,

"Listen,-"

"Dude, it's fine. I love cooking anyways." Doug promised with a smile to counter the avian's frown.

"I guess if that's alright..."

"So we've come to an agreement?"

"I do the rest of the work and an unmentioned favor, and in return, you'll cook me a meal for my date tonight?" The bird asked, being sure he fully understood the terms of the deal.

"Sounds good to me." The mammal replied, "So I guess I'll go get on that."

"And I'll do the rest of the work." Mordecai added, pushing the mower onwards as the otter headed off to go do his thing. He never expected for the two's relationship to prove to be so beneficial. Though, what was he supposed to expect, having tackled the male upon their unforeseen reunion. And all this time for him to be so kind, even when Mordecai had treated him so poorly. As much as he hated himself for doing so, the bird couldn't help but be a little on edge, suspicion of the mammal beginning to arise. He'd keep an eye on Doug, since he _was_ a criminal after all...

* * *

><p>Mordecai proceeded with all the chores, taking them all out one by one with immense determination. He <em>wanted<em> this, for this day to be perfect, and to do so required a little effort. He moved through each task, taking them out rather quickly compared to his usual work ethic; not that it was hard to beat in the first place...

The final thing on the list was to once again weed the garden, which had suddenly become overwhelmed with the unwanted plants lately... in fact, _all _of the plants seemed to be a little out of control lately. Yet, no one questioned why exactly they were all growing like this in mid September, but the blue jay figured that this was just another after-effect of the watch, and it would probably be best not to raise suspicion. He pulled out other weed, being sure to "grab it by the roots" as Benson had firmly instructed, and thought back to his incident with Pops a few days before. He cast a glace over to a blossoming flower and gave a few looks around before plucking it up from the ground.

"Thought it was a weed." Mordecai chuckled to himself.

Once he was finished with his work, the gumball machine gave him a look of disbelief, and after thoroughly inspecting the bird's quality work, decided to agree on allowing him to host his fate at the house. So now came the preparations. Not that he would be able to do much until Doug came back with things...

Mordecai ran upstairs, sparing no time, and took a quick shower in the upstairs bathroom, then running across the hall to search through his closed for something to wear. What was he _supposed _to wear? A T-shirt seemed to be a little too casual, or was the fact that he was hosting this at the house rather than someplace fancier reason enough for him to wear it? Then there was always the tuxedo he had for who know what reason, but was that too formal? At this point, the avian just figured he was over thinking things... A nice dress shirt would work just fine, so he hope. Mordecai quickly put on the white button-up, being sure to do his buttons _CORRECTLY. _Oh, if only he had a nickel for every time that had happened.

He could hear the front door from downstairs open, and he quickly ran down to find Doug carrying in a couple grocery bags, assisted by Pops who had apparently driven him. The blue jay looked at the cuckoo-clock atop the TV, noting the time and beginning a countdown in his head...- countdown. The bird pulled his sleeves down, not wanting to draw any unwanted attention to his rather odd feature, and headed on into the kitchen to find Doug and Pops had already began preparing the meal. Good, good. Time sped by for what seemed like the first time in quite a while, and at the worst of times too... The otter and lolliman put the finishing touches on the meal, as well as having properly set up the table along with a romantic candle center piece, then both away up the staircase as the doorbell rang, Pops giving a few giggles as Doug pulled him up the stairs.

Mordecai's heart kept beating rapidly, placing his hand on the doorknob, giving a tug on his collar, and finally opening the front door to reveal a very stunning sight. Margaret gave him a smile and a small wave, the blue jay then inviting her inside the house. The robin was dressed in a bright yellow tank-top, accompanied by jean shorts- very... _short shorts, _and to his surprise, today she actually had a yellow ribbon tied in her hair- er, _feathers._

"Sorry. Having a date here is probably really lame." He said, earning only a giggle from the robin.

"It's really no big deal," She said, "Quite original actually..." _Original?.. _He handed her the flower he'd picked in the garden from earlier, earning himself a kindhearted "Thank you." with another smile.

"Did you walk all the way here?" The blue jay asked regretfully, to which she answered with a nod.

"No worried though! Calm down dude! It's okay, really." Margaret laughed. Yeah... maybe he was just over thinking this whole thing.

Mordecai took the robin into the kitchen and they both sat down at the table, the blue jay noticing Doug and Pops peeking at the pair from behind the stair banister. The blue jay shot them a look that pleaded for them not to ruin this for him. It had taken so long to get here after all...

"Did you cook all this yourself?" Margaret asked in disbelief, and getting the attention of the bird away from the two eavesdroppers. Would it seem pathetic if he said no?..

_"There's no reason to lie..."_

"Oh, er, no." The blue jay said awkwardly.

"So was it Pops or..." Margaret said, pointing towards the two hiding males. Mordecai smacked his face in disbelief at how easily the two had blown their cover. The robin only let out a giggle. "Who's the other one?" She asked, not entirely familiar with the otter.

"Oh, that's Doug." Mordecai replied.

"I think I heard of him..." The robin began, "Didn't he get arrested though?" She asked, lowering her voice to prevent being heard.

"Yeah, I don't really know what happened with that either."

"Oh well then, very good cooks they are though." Margaret said with a smile. She brought the glass of wine up to her mouth, the liquid touching her lips, only to have her lower it once more. The robin looked at it for a moment, almost in shock.

"It's wine..." Mordecai said hesitantly, "Sorry, I wasn't really sure- uh, I should've asked first."

"No! It's fine, I'm just-... not in a drinking mood right now I guess." She said with a much faker laugh than all the others.

"Can I get you something else to drink then?.." The blue jay asked. There was no way he was going to let this date slip out from between his fingers over some stupid, classy wine.

"Water would be nice." She said. And water she would get.

Other than that whole ordeal, it seemed like it was going well... and hopefully it was. Eventually their conversations grew more casual, and they opened up a little more to each other as time went by. They both finished their meals, which had been, as cliché as it was for a date, spaghetti. And this only left Mordecai with a lack of activities to do afterward. He just needed to think what he normally did for fun. They'd talked for a lot longer than he'd normally intended, oh, how the time had flied by.

"You want to go outside?" Margaret asked, catching the bird looking out the kitchen window with an interested gaze.

"What- no, I just. I mean the _weather is just so bad..."_ The blue jay said, laughing at his own excuse. Though, truly, he'd only been embarrassed for being noticed so on-the-spot.

"It's actually really nice outside." The robin said, taking the blue jay by his hand and dragging him out the front door into the dark night outside. Wow, was this really happening? He was still unsure as to how, but the two had ended up in chased of sorts through the park's fields. Fireflies drifted through the air, lighting up all around them like miniature floating lanterns.

"Too slow!" The robin called out to the blue jay trailing behind her.

"I'm not even trying!" He yelled back.

Eventually, the two birds fell to the ground together, laughing and gasping for breath out of exhaustion from their random chase. They laid in the grass, looking up at the night sky, and the stars that looked like splatter pain on a deep, black canvas. The moon had grown large as well, shining down, and making the night easily visible. It reminded the blue jay much of his dream, turning his head to look at the smiling robin beside him, and feeling that _this_ in fact was almost like a dream.

"I have a question." Margaret said out of nowhere.

"Which is?" Mordecai asked with curiosity, and at least hoping he would be able to answer it _correctly._ She gave a pause, but eventually came to asking, her eyes still locked on the stars above.

"What do you think about 'love'?"

"What do you mean?" Mordecai asked.

"I know I'm probably just being stupid for asking this, and don't feel the need to get all sentimental, I just want to know what you think." The robin explained.

"Well," The blue jay started, taking some time to think over his wording, "I guess I think of it as this... uncontrollable factor in life that we can't change or deny. There's only one person we'll ever truly _love _in life, and it's the one we never hesitate to think of as such." Mordecai finished. That basically described their relationship, didn't it? All these years it's all been about Margaret. And now, here they were. It was practically _destiny _if anything, and there was no doubt or hesitation in the male's mind that he loved her endlessly.

"What about you?" Mordecai asked, turning to look at the bird beside him. She gave it a moments thought just as he had; love always proving to be a deep topic for most anyone...

"I guess... I think of it more like a puzzle." The robin said, "Or more specifically, a _piece_ of the puzzle of life. If the piece is wrong, you can take it, and try to jam it into place as much as you want, and it might just fit..." She paused, closing her eyes, "But the puzzle will never be what it's supposed to."

_"Wow..."_ Mordecai thought, impressed by her somewhat on-the-spot poetic depiction of love. Course, she had asked the question in the first place... and for what reason?

"I like you're outlook a lot too." The blue jay said, earning a smile from Margaret.

"It's getting a bit late." The robin said, sitting up, "I should probably start walking back home."

"No, wait! Let me drive you." Mordecai offered, standing up and then helping up his girlfriend as well.

"With what?" She asked with a giggle.

"Well, I _am _pretty awesome at driving a golf cart." The avian said with a cheesy smile, the two sharing a laugh at his expense. _Oh, how he really needed a car..._

Mordecai quickly ran back inside and grabbed the keys to the cart, leading Margaret to Skips' garage where they found a cart parked outside.

"You sure he wont mind?" Margaret asked with a bit of concern.

"Oh please, what's he using it for?" The couple climbed in, and Mordecai started up the engine.

* * *

><p>The ride to Margaret's apartment seemed so short, and the blue jay would be lying if he said he didn't attempt to take the longest possible route. The pair made up for the lack of a radio by singing cheesy songs together and ignoring the looks they got for doing so. Mordecai laughed along with the robin, who looked so graceful as the air blew through her feathers, golden ribbon trailing behind.<p>

_"The perfect end to the perfect day." _The blue jay thought as their destination grew closer and closer. The city lights blurred as they continued their drive, moon and stars joining in to light up the night.

_"So beautiful" _Mordecai thought, turning to look at Margaret once more. _"So beautiful..."_

They came to a stop, and it came time for goodbyes to be exchanged, no matter how much Mordecai wanted to put them off. He parked the golf cart alongside the side walk, and turned off the motor, quickly swinging out and walking around the cart to the robin's side. There wasn't a door for him to open, so the two shared a laugh as the blue jay took her hand and led her onto the curb.

"Thanks for such a fun night." Margaret said happily, swinging her arms around the blue jay to give him a joyful hug. Mordecai returned it, smiling down on the robin in contempt.

"No problem, I had a lot of fun too." The blue jay said, leading her up the steps to her apartment building. It was hard for them to part, but he knew this would be inevitable. Hey, he had a good time, and that was all that mattered; he was sure of it.

"Thanks again." The robin said, giving the male a quick kiss on the cheek and entering the building, leaving Mordecai breathless once more. Wow, she really had an effect on him. The bird held his hand at the spot where the girl had left her mark, still tingling slightly. He was so... happy. For all the shit that had been going on, today had proven to be actually _enjoyable._

_But no._

The bird's heart almost stopped, turning to find Allan casually looking at him, leaning against the lamppost. God, he didn't need this now, why was he even here? Maybe if he tried to be reasonable...

"What are you doing here?" The blue jay asked.

"What? I can't take a walk around the city I live in?" Allan asked defensively. He did posses a point... but it _WAS _considerably creepy for him to just be right _there._

"Listen," Mordecai began, "I had a really good night, so I don't want to start anything that might ruin it."

"I can tell." Another voice added, shocking the blue jay to find Rigby sitting off to the side, wearing a plain green sweatshirt. He didn't even look towards the blue jay, his voice filled with what he thought to be disgust. How much Mordecai just wanted to run over and give the mammal a strangling hug, to beg for him to come back to the park, but looking over at Allan, he decided he'd prefer not to embarrass himself. If he did that right in front of the other bird, he would only be letting him get to him, and Allan would win. The blue jay refused to allow this mediocre duplicate of himself the pleasure of his pain.

"Rigby..." Mordecai began, looking down at the ground, feeling the cold pavement on his feet.

"Hmm?" The raccoon responded, the silence being awkwardly shared between the three of them as Allan stood off to the side.

"Can I?-" The blue jay began to ask, looking in the other avian's direction, Allan then looking towards Rigby who gave him a nod of approval. The clone gave him a glare accompanied by a sadistic smile before beginning to walk a great distance away; one that at least seemed to be out of ear-though, though Mordecai highly doubted he wouldn't eavesdrop in the slightest.

"What?" Rigby asked, now turning to face the bird. Mordecai first noticed how tired he looked, the streetlights almost harming him as they shone down on his sleep-depraved eyes, burning them.

_"What now?"_ Mordecai asked himself, all his courage having seemingly left him when it was left to the two of them. What was he supposed to say? He was still doubtful on things... Plus, what was there really to say _right after _he delivered Margaret from after their obvious date, his tie blowing a little in the cooling wind. What did he want to know? Should he start off with small-talk, or should he cut the crap and get down to the real issue? What to do...

"Listen, I'm just going to come right out and ask, but..."

_"Don't do it." _His thoughts persisted, _"You'll ruin your chances even further. Don't damage this relationship more than you already have. Make it easier for __him__. Do you think that __he's__ not been affected by this whole thing either?.."_

"How are things at your job?" The blue jay asked, catching himself. Rigby raised an eyebrow.

"Good? I guess..." This small-talk thing really wasn't proving to be of much help, only leaving the bird to feeling more and more out of place.

"Anyways, I had this conversation with Doug, and-"

"Doug? What the hell? Did you go to jail just to have a chat with your buddy Doug?"

"No, he got a job at the park..." Mordecai explained, holding back his irritation. Though, maybe he shouldn't have mentioned that...

"Ah, I see Benson had no problem with replacing me. Didn't even try to stop me when I quit..." The raccoon faded off with a frown.

"He didn't _replace_ you," The bird reassured, "We just need as much help around the park as we can get lately. Did you know that it might close soon?"

"Looks like I'm one step ahead then." Rigby spat with a laugh, the blue jay faking one alongside him, even though the comment hurt him deep down. _Try to play nice... He's always been stubborn._

"Anyways, so I was talking to Doug, and he told me, er, _something_ about the time he tried to transformed into you."

"Yeah, how's he even out of jail after all that?" Rigby asked with concern, sticking his hands into the sweatshirt pockets.

"I still don't know that..."

"So-..?"

"Oh yeah, he said..."

_"Don't do it. You two are getting along somewhat well. You'll just ruin all of it, watch this friendship of yours burn to the ground until nothing's left but the empty feeling in your chest."_

"He said,-"

_"You'll only lead a life paved with guilt from now on if you continue. The more you try to fix this, the more you're going to end up hurting yourself. Just let this distance between the two of you expand until the memories fade away."_

"That you loved me." The blue jay forced, standing there in the moment where he wish he could take back his words. Rigby just stared at him, eyes wider than before; and undeniable reaction. _So then._

"That's a bunch of shit." The raccoon spat, pulling the hood hood over his head to shield him from the light, and began walking off towards Allan.

"Hey, I'm not done!"

"What do you mean? You asked your damn question, and I answered it!"

"Dude, I just want you to be honest, I don't-"

"I AM BEING HONEST!" Rigby screamed, turning around towards the avian; lampposts shining off the fresh tears that budded in his eyes, "WHY THE HELL WOULD I _LOVE _YOU?"

"I don't know, we've been friends for-"

"EXACTLY, WE'RE FRIENDS- NO WAIT. WE _WERE _FRIENDS. THAT DOESN'T MEAN I HAVE TO _LOVE_ YOU." The mammal yelled once more, then letting out a small laugh, "Damn, you're so conceited..." He muttered, letting his tears fall onto the pavement.

"Dude, look," Mordecai began, kneeling down to his crying friend, "I was just asking." He said, reaching out to place a hand on his friend's shoulder, only to have the mammal smack it away. Rigby rubbed at his eyes, looking back up at the blue jay with a pitiful face.

The silence between the two ensued, and Mordecai decided it was probably best to give him his space. It wasn't an easy thing to have your sexuality brought out and so blatantly questioned. He had certainly been there, remembering his violent lashing out towards the bathroom mirror.

"I didn't think you _were _ga- in love with me, I just... I dunno. If it was true, I didn't want my bro to be hurting like this. I just wanted to be sure." Mordecai said with a smile, the mammal still frowning regardless. "I really never-" The bird was cut off, Rigby having grabbed the avian's head, and forced their mouths together.

_What_

_ was_

_ this?.._

It was so warm, and er- wet. The bird felt the raccoon's tongue against his, this kiss proving to be much deeper than any that he and Margaret had exchanged. Then again, it wasn't as if he expected much from their fairly new relationship. Wait. No. He was dating Margaret, this was... wrong. What would the robin think if she were to walk back out and find this.

The blue jay pulled back, separating their mouths as Rigby desperately grabbed to reconnect the kiss, tears building back up. Mordecai stood back up, looking down on the mammal who fell to his knees and hunched over the pavement as sobs escaped him.

"Damn it." He muttered through gasps and sobs. "Why?.." Rigby asked, looking up at the avian, "Why the hell..." The blue jay remained quiet, listening to the mammal, but also noticing a concerned Allan on his way back to help the raccoon.

"Rigby, I- ..."

"Fuck." He spat, "I've hurt over you so much..." Rigby cried, voice trebling as he punched his small hand forcefully onto the concrete, accepting the pain with welcome. "Why the fuck do I love you _so damn much_?.." Rigby asked with a chuckle, punching the ground harder, skinning his knuckles and painting the ground crimson.

"Rigby-"

"Dude, what the hell?" Allan yelled, pushing the blue jay away to help his mammal friend. No, wait. Rigby was _his_ friend, and he was done with taking Allan's crap. Mordecai approached the "raven" and delivered a strong punch to the side of his face. The injured bird held his face in disbelief, a sadistic grin soon forming as he stood back up to return the favor. Rigby watched through blurry vision as his two friends fought, tacking each other onto the hard pavement, kicking and punching, yelling curses left and right. Mordecai continued to fight in blind fury, spitting out a bit of blood after receiving a blow to the face. It all seemed to become a blur of stinging pain until...

'Pop!'

The sound rang out nice and clear, and Allan let out a wince of pain as Mordecai got up off him and released his wing. It was almost sickening... Mordecai looked down at his hand with confusion and fear; having twisted the joint until it came clean out of the socket. He looked down at Allan once more, then at Rigby who stared at him, wide-eyed in fear. What had he done?..

Backing away, the blue jay retreated to the golf cart, started the engine, and sped off before sticking around for any bystanders to appear.

"Fuck." He muttered to himself, wiping some blood away from the corner of his mouth and the sweat away from his forehead.

The drive back to the park proved to be certainly less pleasant than the one he had shared with Margaret. Margaret... He hoped that if anything, the robin hadn't seen even a glimpse of that fight. How selfish of him to think that when Rigby had to sit there and watch it _all._

* * *

><p>The bird made his way back to the park with ease, parking the cart outside Skips' garage, and stumbling back to the house. He burst through the front door, not even caring if he drew attention to himself. Doug was seated on the couch, staring at the television with boredom.<p>

"How was it?" The otter asked, earning no response. The male turned his head to Mordecai as the blue jay made his way up the stairs, jaw dropping in shock upon noticing that the male was bloody. The avian only continued, not stopping until he made his way into the bathroom, and locked himself in. Mordecai immediately saw a new mirror placed where the old one had been, and gave himself a good look. He was a mess; face beginning to swell already. Hard to believe this was even him anymore...

After a quick shower to wash off the blood, as well as calm down a bit, the bird left the bathroom and threw his dirty clothes in the hamper, not even caring if it the garments remained stained as such. Doug just stood to the side, not saying a word. The otter was obviously confused, and eager to ask what had happened, but he held his tongue. Oh, how Mordecai envied him for being able to do so...

Mordecai plopped down in his bed, and flipped off the lights. He wanted this day to end.

_"Why?" _He thought, as tears began to form in his own eyes as the image of Rigby crying refused to leave his mind. And then there was that look of fear the mammal had given him... Mordecai let the tears fall down his face. He didn't care if anyone saw him like this at this point; if they thought of him as weak. They'd be right anyhow. This day that had gone so well until the very last minute...

And then there was that kiss that him and Rigby had shared...

"Why?" He repeated, this time out loud. The warmth lingered on his busted mouth, feeling the raccoon's strong and forcefully tongue slip past into his mouth.

"Why did it feel so good?"


	23. My Wonderland

"Thanks again." The robin said, delivering a final kiss upon the blue jay's cheek before turning to depart. She walked onward through the lobby of the building, her smile melting away as she heard the door close behind her. She barely knew what she was doing anymore, why she was trying to maintain a relationship of substance in any way that she could. If one ended, she would only replace it with a new one and carry on as she would normally, though seemingly never getting anywhere with them. The robin would always just start back to square one with her new relationships; hitting the reset button until she found the one that worked for her, _the piece that fit._

After struggling to fish her keys from her pocket, Margaret threw the door open, and fell onto the couch with exhaustion. She was tired, but a different _kind_ of tired. The robin found herself unable to explain it, the feeling more over just tired with this same process. There were a few more moments of relaxation before the bird decided to get up, heading towards the kitchen to find her recipe book sprawled out across the counter. Maybe she could take some time to rest with a nice cup of tea, think things over. But was that necessarily the _best_ choice?

Margaret let out a deep breath, heading towards her bathroom and taking off her top along the way. She looked over herself in the mirror, then choosing to shower off what filth she might have accumulated during all this. Her bra snapped off and fell to the floor, shorts and undergarments following. The robin noticed one of her many potted plants beside her sink on the counter; a small, bright red flower, and gave it a weak smile. Margaret caught herself once more in the mirror, noticing the ribbon in her hair. She untied it from her feathers, looking over the strand of yellow fabric before setting in on the counter with care. Tears budded in her eyes, the female refusing to look up at the reflection in front of her. The robin tossed the several pregnancy tests one by one into the trash, and then stepped into the shower.

_Time to start growing up._

* * *

><p>"Well don't you look a mess?"<p>

The avian groaned, pinching between his eyes in irritation. He was all too familiar with this by now to get confused, but he certainly wasn't in the mood for it.

"I don't want to deal with this right now." The blue jay muttered, keeping his eyes pinched tightly closed.

"You're the one who left the watch under your pillow. It's out of my control at that point." Father Time explained; Mordecai practically feeling his presence without even looking, "Besides, time is turning. You _do _want to fix this don't you?"

"I don't even know at this point..."

"Well that's too bad."

"Listen, I don't _have_ to do anything. I might as well let this countdown end and have it all be over with." Mordecai retorted, sitting up to look tiredly at the clock in front of him.

"Hey, I don't like this any more than you do, but it's has to be done eventually. The quicker we finish, the quicker you can get back to sleeping."

"I guess..." The bird sighed, standing and following Father Time back to the same point center of the columns as all the other times, "What is it this time?"

"You're going to need some help from your friends."

"What do you mean?.."

"Well, you're going to need to enter their dreams and help them with their problems as well." The clock explained, continuing to orbit around the terminal core somewhat gleefully.

"_Their _problems?"

"Well, yes. You don't honestly believe you're the only one with troubles in this world, do you?"

It was hard for the avian to explain, but it _did_ honestly seem like that to him at least. Margaret seemed so happy at their date, and he could really never be too sure about Eileen.

_"And then there's Rigby..."_ The bird though, almost smacking himself for being so clueless over the matter. Mordecai was still in shock over the whole ordeal between the two of them. He couldn't come to finding himself confused though, which was an irregular occurrence. Everything had been so straightforward and blatantly revealed. Jeez, it hurt his head just to think about it. Though if there had to be one thing he admittedly wasn't able to grasp, it was how _he_ felt over it. It was as if the shock were disabling his comprehension to feel- or at least know what he felt. Mordecai wasn't happy over it, but he wasn't upset either. He just felt... _empty._

"Why do you always take the time to think things through _now_ of all times?" Father Time asked, snapping the bird back to his current situation.

"Yeah, yeah. So I'm going into... other people's dreams?"

"Yes, thank you for repeating me."

"Doesn't that seem a little invasive though?.."

"_REALLY? _Alright then, ignore my help and let things run their course."

"Yeah, about that, why are you helping anyways?" The blue jay asked with a hint of suspicion.

"I realize this isn't _all_ your fault, like I've said."

"You have?"

"..."

"Sorry, continue."

"The watch was already partly damaged when you found it after all, correct?" Father Time asked, Mordecai remembering back to the missing green fragment upon discovering the thing; the piece that Skips apparently now had.

"Uh... yeah."

"So I figure I should give you a little tutorial on how to fix things. Well, that, and I don't really expect you to comprehend the solution on your own, no offense."

"None taken..." Mordecai muttered, "How do dreams even relate to er- time or whatever all this is."

"Things are all bound together in more ways than you'd think. You may have partially broken time, but in doing so, you've also affected nature, as I'm sure you've noticed from the weather."

"Wait, that's because of me too?" The blue jay asked, honestly not all that surprised however.

"Well, of course."

"What does that even have to do with Father _Time_ though?"

"_Father _Time, _Mother_ Nature, it's practically the same thing." The clock stated.

"No, I don't see-"

"Listen," Father Time cut in, "You should really get moving. I don't fully trust your ability to pull this off correctly on your first try, so there's no time to waste."

"Okay... so, what now?"

"Anyone in particular you'd like to start off with?"

"Huh?"

"Someone whose problems you might be more familiar with?.." The clock asked with blatant obviousness of him and the raccoon's current standings in the tone of his voice.

"Do you really have to tease me over it?"

"You two are odd..." The clock chuckled, the blue orb beginning to glimmer from behind.

"Oh- what about that sword?"

"Ah yes, quite the trusty weapon, huh? Just add water." Father Time said, laughing once more at his pathetic excuse for a joke, or what _he_ called a joke.

"I'm still not entirely sure what I'm supposed to do." Mordecai said as the light grew brighter.

"You best get to learning then."

The avian let out deep breath, whose side was this guy on anyways? One second he's willing to help, and the next he's only confusing the bird more with his riddles that only the teller found funny. Father Time was certainly odd himself...

* * *

><p>The bird felt an ache in his head as the bright white quickly became an opaque black. The blue jay slowly opened his eyes, looking up towards the dimly lit sky above. Mordecai sat up, brushing some of the dry fallen leaves from his feathers. He took a deep breath of the cool air that drafted around the dark forest, glancing around at his surroundings. The avian was much happier to find himself on solid ground, rather than a mirror-like spread of water that could threaten to break out from under him at any time. Though, less could be said for the eeriness that the dark silhouettes of the slender trees gave off. The bird focused his eyes, looking further down the trail that he found himself on to see small lights off in the distance. Mordecai stood up, looking behind him; where nothing but darkness occupied, and forged onward down the path.<p>

The avian's steps were cautious, the crunching of the dirt and gravel beneath his feet threatening to give off his presence to whatever may lurk there. Mordecai was still doubtful of what it was he should be doing, or where exactly he was, but if he had to guess from the context the clock had given, this was most likely Rigby's dream. This dark habitat was a little unexpected of the small raccoon's subconscious, but he figured it might as well be out of nature. The blue jay often forgot his friend was to be nocturnal, since they had come to force him out of his natural instincts. Not that Benson would really offer Rigby work past day, and he doubted the mammal would want to be separated from his bird friend.

"So I'm looking for a 'problem'?" Mordecai asked himself, almost expecting the clock to come out and explain things to him. Father Time's wording was always nearly to vague to even process, or maybe the avian was really just lacking in understanding, but the bird figured his confusion was all part of the time lord's fun.

The light grew closer and closer, the bird soon finding himself in the middle of a well lit part of the forest. Insects flew around the area, lighting up in an expansive array of colors. They were like fireflies of all colors; blue, purple, red, orange, truly an _interesting_ sight. As much should be expected of a dream he supposed. What appeared to be Christmas lights stranded from tree to tree like a chain of small stars. They were dim, but easily seen through the dark. Sun setting in the horizon, or maybe rising, he wasn't sure, lit the sky like a watercolor painting. The actual stars in the sky faintly peeked through the shades of pink and violet, clouds layering the atmosphere. It was an enchanting setting that the bird almost wished he'd never have to leave, yet he failed to see how a problem could occupy such a place. Where was he to begin?

Mordecai noticed a long wooden picnic table in a corner of the cleared out space, a mass amount of stuff clearly tossed upon it. The bird approached it, finding the items more and more recognizable with each step. A tall tower of pizza boxed laid at the end of the table, a 'Pizza King' crown resting on top of the pile. A large chocolate cake sat in the center of the table, a plate stacked high with grilled cheeses next to it. The bird found a large pitcher of what seemed to be...

_ "Ugh, Rig-Juice..." _He thought with a laugh. Small rubber ducks sat along the bench, accompanied by a bright red keyboard; 'The Power'. Mordecai also found Rigby's 'I'm Eggscellent' hat that the bird had to go through so much trouble to get when his friend had fallen into a coma. The bird found no omelet around, which he figured as much due to the raccoon's apparent allergy to the things. Pops' chair that the two had fought so valiantly over with an endless draw of 'Rock, Paper, Scissors" for sat at the head of the table. The avian found a grill behind it, along with some premium hotdogs cooking within it. Ah, and who could forget the stick hockey table that stood beside it. All of it was like a buffet of memories for the bird, and he swore if it weren't for the knot forming in his stomach, he'd sit down for a bite. There was a small chuckle the bird let out as tears threatened to bud from his eyes, but he clenched his fists tight, and refused to allow himself distraction any longer. He was here to complete a job.

At least there was no doubt in his mind by now that this _dream_ of sorts belonged to Rigby, but he still had no idea what to gather from it all. All of these memories collected from the items found all and around the table were happy ones, weren't they? They clearly left no _bad_ memories that left a taint in his mind for him to remember. Maybe that much was just a sign. Point being that he couldn't find any 'problems' along all this.

A wind blew through the trees, ruffling through the branches and leaves. About the only sound to run throughout this habitat; yet, the bird listened closer. Mordecai tried to hone in on what he though to be silence, hoping to find more to it that he'd been missing in his trip down memory lane. The ringing in his head faded, and he found himself able to pick up on a sharp, yet quite sound in the distance. The avian took a few cautious step towards where he expected the sound's emitter to be located, but stopped once again to listen. He continued this, slowly crunching the leaves beneath him as he began to travel into the denser and darker area of the forest. Fear slowly gripped the avian, and his muscles grew tense. It was all a dream after all, there shouldn't be anything to fear...

But pain had proven to be all too real in his past experiences, and no one said that this couldn't be a _nightmare _of sorts. Dream could just be proven to be a loose term in this case. He began imagining all the monsters that Rigby could have dreamed up; how to deal with them as well. The mammal had a history for being scared for his life by horror movies, so the bird really expected no less of him, but if a killer taxi were to come at him out of nowhere, the bird feared his inability to do anything but laugh at his friend's definition of horror. Who the hell was scared of a living car anyways?

The bird looked up, and found the Christmas lights continuing from tree to tree in the direction he was heading. They were almost like a trail leading him down the pathless way, yet he wondered why he hadn't come to notice them before. Their dimness maybe? Either way, followed their trail with the little confidence he had. What lied at the end, who knew?

All the way, the noise grew clearer. It was a sort of... jingling sound.

_"Maybe bells?" _He thought, looking back up at the festive lights that led his way through the dark. He'd occasionally trip on some fallen foliage on the path along the way, spitting curses and wishing he'd at least been granted so much as a flashlight back at the other site.

Finally he reached a large clearing, a lone tree in the center. A large, thick, and tall oak tree grew in the center; its roots springing up out of the ground and delving back into the dirt. The bird could see a small form in the center of the tree. The blue jay backed up upon unexpectedly noticing the thing. Most interestingly appeared to be how the lights from around the trees all stranded together at the animal's chest.

"Mordecai?.." The form asked, the bird's heart nearly skipping a beat, Rigby's voice rang so clearly through the silence, and the male quickly ran forward to see his friend.

"Rigby!" The blue jay let out, growing closer to find his mammal friend bound by chains to the trunk of the monstrous tree.

"Dude,.." Rigby chuckled, with a weak smile that the lights connected to his chest vaguely made clear, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm not really sure of that myself..." The avian faded off, gripping at the chains that gripped at the raccoon. Was this some sort of rescue mission? And what about this Rigby? Was this _really_ Rigby? Or was it just some dream-form of the male that possessed none of his actual thoughts...

Overall, the male questioned what this was like for the other male. Was he experiencing a _lucid_ dream from his end? Was he able to control his actions? Or was he just watching it all from some omnipotent third point of view as does an ordinary dream.

"Er, how did you get like this?" Mordecai asked, ceasing his futile attempts to rip the chains off himself. Jeez did that look like a stupid idea...

"I kinda just... found myself here." Rigby said, obviously clueless of the situation himself.

What was to be done here? Had Father Time meant to solve the solution between them here and now? To talk it out? He was still a little on edge about what this really was. Not to sound suspicious, but this Rigby seemed a lot more friendly than the one he'd encountered on the streets. Well, this was just a dream to him after all...

"Listen," Mordecai began, "I'm really sorry about what happened."

Rigby gave a small chuckle followed by a sigh. "If only I could hear you say that in real life..."

"Dude, I mean it." The bird said, "Honestly, about tonight, and just..." He paused, looking down at the ground he knelt upon, "Everything."

The wind blew through the forest again, freshening the awkward from the air. Mordecai wasn't really sure on how to approach the subject next. Perhaps the chains were put around the mammal to force him into listening to the bird, but it didn't seem the mammal was putting up much of a struggle to ignore him, or even escape from the binds himself. What to do...

_"Just add water." _Mordecai thought, remembering the clock's pitiful pun.

"Hey Rigby, do you know if there's any water around here- like maybe a river or a lake?.." The blue jay asked his friend. Maybe if he could manage to get back that sword, he could cut through the chains to free the raccoon. How was he even supposed to summon the thing from liquid? The last time it had just practically fallen out of a mirror for him. Mordecai found that he'd gone a while now without an answer, and came out of his though to return to his friend.

"Rigby." He said again, the mammal not responding. His eyes were wide, and looking past the avian, "Rigby." The bird repeated, again gaining no feedback.

Mordecai turned his head to look behind him, and his eyes grew to match his friend's. The fear that he'd forgotten upon finding his friend began to arise once more. Little to say he'd let his guard down this whole time. A raccoon gazed at him through sharp eyes, gripping tightly at the trunk of a tree. Its appearance almost mirrored that of the mammal beside him, except this stranger possessed a wide and toothy smile; sharp fangs glistening off of what little light there was. The dark made it hard to see the mammal's dark fur, it all coming together to appear like floating face. All the while, the lights in the trees began to fade.

"What is that?.." Mordecai whispered to Rigby with caution. His friend yet again didn't respond, but rather only continued to stare down the thing in front of them while giving slight shakes and jitters. Mordecai examined the creature further, the thing's eyes locked on him the entire time; smile unfaltering. The fur between the stripes on its tale had a dim sheen to them, almost like a glow. The bird only hoped he wouldn't be put in a 'who's who' situation like he had been in the incident with Doug. Though with Rigby chained to the tree, he found that hard of happening.

Mordecai felt something press into his back, turning to find a padlock of which held the chains. The lock possessed a keyhole in the center, and the thing in its entirety was shaped like a heart. The bird's face lit up a little at how cheesy and cliché it seemed for it to be that particular shape, but also realized that this most likely also meant there was a key to be found somewhere for unlocking it. Then, he realized it.

The blue jay looked back up at the creature who hadn't moved an inch, and notice something hanging from the tip of its tail. What looked to be a key was tied to the end, giving small sways. Mordecai stood up and slowly began to approach the animal on the tree. As he grew closer, the animal didn't move in the slightest; its breathing also undetectable to the eye. The blue jay was hesitant to putting his hand out towards the thing to grab at the key, looking back at its smile, and the rows of sharp teeth that composed it. Maybe...

With a lunge, Mordecai flew forward at the key, only for the creature to quickly evade his attempt and leap to another tree. The avian fell to the ground, then quickly trying to relocate the thing through the dark. He managed to find it up higher in an adjacent tree, but there was no possible way he'd be agile or quick enough to climb the tree and take capture of the key. It was times like this he really wished he was able to fly...

Again, he looked back at Rigby. "Rigby, is there any water nearby?"

Rigby just gave him a confused look. "I don't know, why?"

Maybe he could manage to cut down the trees if only he had that thing. Would it be best to go in search of water and leave Rigby with _that_, or should he just stay here and take his chances? The thing scooted further up in the tree and out of sight.

"You should listen to your _boyfriend._" The monster called out in Rigby's own voice mockingly, also sending a large branch down, nearly smacking the avian square in the head if he hadn't managed to move in time.

"SHUT UP!" Rigby yelled back, the lights immediately flaring up into a deep red and illuminating the forest. Mordecai manage to find the animal once more, and ran over to slam into the tree it was clenching onto. The Rigby clone merely jumped to another tree just in time while Mordecai rubbed at his now sore arm. The clone's stripes now shone red alongside the lights, bringing an interesting idea to the bird. The light eventually dimmed back down, as did the beast's tail, and the other raccoon escaped from view once more. Mordecai turned to face his mammal friend who still stood stuck to the tree, the red of anger slowly leaving his face.

"Hey, Rigby. Do you have control over those?" The bird asked. He must, they're all leading into him after all.

"I dunno."

"Well I need you to try." The bird responded, approaching the mammal to test his theory a bit further, Rigby just looking at him without a clue all the while. Would it be wrong for him to manipulate this trait? He _was_ in a dream after all. It wasn't as if he'd be doing this in real life. Plus Rigby would just wake up thinking it was all a dream. But still...

The bird place a wing on the raccoon's shoulder, the lights in the trees beginning to light back up, but with a faint pink this time to match the mammal's blush.

"Uh, dude?" Rigby asked. It was clear if he could move he'd be backing away right about now in embarrassment. Mordecai felt as if this was some sick experimentation of his; a repeat of earlier that night. The blue jay knelt down and moved his face closer to the raccoon's. Rigby just looked at him weakly through half-lidded eyes, clearly expecting and anticipating what was to come. The blue jay took it slowly, a little more confident that there was no one else around aside from that third-party beast, but ignored it. Their mouths met once more, and Rigby almost immediately slid his tongue into the other male's mouth, rubbing it against the blue jay's. The bird felt... odd, but he continued as well, deepening the kiss. Mordecai kept an eye open, seeing as the Christmas lights gradually grew brighter and as the pink coloration deepened as did the kiss. It was certainly interesting.

The kiss ended as Mordecai slowly pulled away, Rigby licking at his lips and his eyes desperately asking for more. The blue jay knew he had to maintain the lighting somehow.

"I love you, bro." Mordecai said, standing back up to look around at the trees in search of the raccoon, eventually finding it glowing the same shade of pink high up in a far across tree.

"I love you too..." Rigby returned as the avian ran and slammed into the animal's tree once more, this time managing to rattle the thing a little as it fell onto another nearby tree.

"Jeez, what a bunch of faggots." The animal spat as Mordecai attempted to ram another tree. It let out a chuckle at the two males as it easily jumped from one tree to another, "I can keep this up all day."

Another branch came flying down in Mordecai's direction, the bird avoiding them again. A few acorns came flying down and hit Rigby in the face; the raccoon unable to block them with his chained hands. The lights turned from pink to red as Rigby began to fume again. Either way, the blue jay managed to keep an eye on the animal in the trees, and continued to try and knock it out of them for a good while as the clone continued its onslaught of insults along the way.

"Maybe you could manage to knock me down if you weren't such a _faggot_." The animal would call out with a few sinister giggles. Blood rushed to the avian's head, but he refused to allow it to get to him. This was just a dream; that thing was no better than him in any way. Mordecai was a _living_ thing. However, Rigby's anger only continued to run rampant, but of course this helped the bird in continuing his chain of failures to fumble the creature. How much longer would this take? Would he be able to solve this in time to wake up in time for the others?..

"And you," The clone said, looking at Rigby, "What are you getting all excited for over a kiss? This is just a _DREAM. _It's all your _IMAGINATION._ Do you honestly think he'd feel that way about you outside of your own dreams?" The thing chuckled, tossing a few more twigs at the raccoon.

The lights dimmed down to a blue as the raccoon slumped in disappointment. As much as he just wanted the thing to shut up and die, what he'd said was true.

"Haha, you remember the way he beat up your own friend in front of you? Do you honestly think he cares at this point?-"

"That's not true!" Mordecai cut in, anger now getting to his own head.

"Oh please," The monster said with a sigh, the same damnable smile being maintained on its face the entire time, "Who could honestly enjoy the likes of _that_?" It asked, pointing Rigby, who was also growing irate, "Listen, this can continue as long as you allow it to..."

"I'll keep trying," Mordecai huffed, running into another tree as fatigue began to spread over his body. Even for being a dream, his muscles grew tired and weak.

"Don't you have more _important_ people to deal with? What about the _robin_?"

"Rigby's my friend-"

"That robin and your neglect for him are the whole reason why any of this was started." The beast said, lights beginning to flare back up. A few haywire sparks shot out of the Christmas lights, landing on the dry ground. Mordecai had a bad feeling in his stomach, looking back at Rigby who was clearly reaching his emotional limit.

"I'm sure the only reason you came to visit Rigby was to let him go so you could take your relationship with that bird further without regrets." The monster said with a laugh, "Quite polite of you to take his worthless feelings into consideration. Don't want to drag him any further than you have to, do you?"

More sparks flew out, the light beginning to flicker. The debris on the ground began to slowly ignite, flames starting to rise up of the ground and spread like a disease.

_"Not good."_ The bird though, knowing if he were to die, that it'd all be over and he'd have to start again. Maybe Father Time was right, perhaps this would take more than one try...

"Rigby, try to calm down." The blue jay said to his friend whose tears began to trail down his lowered muzzle, "Dude..."

"Yup, cut off that dead weight while you can." The monster furthered with his smile, more and more sparks being emitted onto the ground as the fire spread throughout the forest. Seeing the creature was certainly not a problem now, the fire igniting the trees as it traveled up them. The monster's smile slowly dropped as the fire grew closer to him and as the trees began to fall, tearing down the lights along with them. Flaming branches fell into the grass, nearly crushing the avian who struggled to protect himself from the flames that encircled the area. What would be to happen if Rigby were to die in his own dream? It would be like any other time, wouldn't it?..

Mordecai wasn't sure, but he didn't feel like risking it either. The avian backed up towards the large oak next to his friend, leaning against the trunk in exhaustion as the strong scent of smoke completely engulfed the area. The bird began tugging on the chain again, praying for any chance at all that he'd be able to remove them. The clone fell from above, landing on the ground as all the trees had now been set aflame. Now was his chance...

Mordecai advanced forward, quickly chasing after the raccoon as it zigzagged through the area, also trying to refrain from getting hit by falling debris. The beast, however, was not so careful, and didn't see the branch from above falling as it came down an pinned him to the ground. Mordecai fell backwards in hesitation, but quickly jolted forward to grasp the trapped animal's tail and pull the key off of it, and began racing back to the oak tree which was now also on fire. He had to save Rigby.

He felt a hand wrap around his leg, pulling him back down to the ground and dragging him away from Rigby who now screamed in fear as the flames slowly traveled down the tree. Mordecai kicked at the hand that held him, the beast now a white rabbit with an apparently very tight grip.

"You think you can beat me?" He laughed, temporary letting go of the bird to kick the branch ff of him and get back up before Mordecai could even manage to recover his fall. The rabbit was faster than the bird could've expected, delivering several quick yet strong blows to his stomach as a blur of white. Mordecai fell to the ground again, coughing up a little blood into his hand, clenching the key tightly in his other. The bird scooted back helplessly, watching the long-eared mammal retrieve a cigaret from a carton retrieved from his pocket, and lighting the end on a burning branch.

_"Where did he come from?" _The blue jay thought, looking around for the other Rigby while the rabbit took a deep inhale, holding it in for a good bit of time with his eyes clenched closed, and exhaling slowly; adding onto the smoke that already inhabited the place.

"Lovely smell." He stated, looking around at the flames as Mordecai struggled to stand up; his organs feeling as if they'd been completely destroyed by just a few silly punches. The blue jay continued to scoot closer and closer to the padlock, jolting up and away as he occasionally moved onto a burning patch of land. Finally he made it to tree once again, Rigby's chain now growing hot; the mammal now wincing in pain from the burns. Mordecai quickly stuck the key in the pad lock, but his hand refused to turn the key, the rabbit now tightly gripping his forearm.

"Can't letcha do that." He said with a chuckle, his grip tightening once more until the blue jay felt the bones in his wing begin to crack. The bird screamed in pain, struggling to pull away. His head was growing numb, his processes fading as the smoke filled his lungs. His eyelids grew heavy, and he could feel the poison spread over him. Pain fading...

He'd lost...

…

The bird's eyes shot back open, and with all the strength he could muster, kicked the rabbit's shin, only to watch in complete despair as his attack did little to no damage. The cigaret fell from the long-eared mammal's mouth, and landed on the ground in front of the bird. The rabbit just looked at him with an empty gaze, and released his hand to bend down and pick it up. Mordecai looked in confusion, as to why he'd done so, but wasted no time in quickly swinging his other arm around to grasp the key, and finally turn it.

Just as he did so, everything began to fade to white, disappearing as ashes fell like snow, and the white rabbit became nothing but a blur. The pain in his arm quickly faded, and suffocation left his lungs that filled with fresh air. Yet in that white he could still hear the rabbit's somewhat deep voice.

"I let you win in this _dream_, because you will never stop me _outside_ of here."

Then... nothing.


	24. Over the Flood

Er- I don't own Regular Show, J.G. Quintel does. Also this chapter is pretty strongly suggestive. Not explicitly visual, but not super child-friendly either. Fair warning, just because this hasn't really been that dirty a story. _So far._

* * *

><p>Rigby's eyes slowly opened, giving a few blinks until going wide to scan the area. He was back in his room, and out of that disastrous wildfire. Though, he had to admit, that was probably the most realistic dream he'd ever had. More accurately, the pain and burns felt as if he had been actually receiving them. Only to be stuck there, begging to wake up, escaping from that hellish torture when Mordecai managed to unlock that padlock...<p>

"Mordecai..." Rigby muttered sitting up to gain a better look of the room. Sunlight poured in through the large window on the other end, yet his bed remained secluded in the darkness across the room. The raccoon rubbed at his eyes. Morning already? It was as if he'd only had a single dream the whole time, but it truly only felt as if he'd been inside such a dream for maybe half an hour max. Then his thoughts drifted back to the avian; that kiss. It was definitely a lot more... pleasurable than the one the mammal had forced the night before. Just thinking back to it made his heart ache and face heat up. Was he thinking at that moment after all?! He'd probably ruined any shred of things going back to normal in doing so, but he just couldn't help it.

Rigby knew that he was being the uncooperative one between the two, but he could honestly say that he just didn't want to return to that everyday hiding of his feelings for his friend. He'd rather remain separated from the blue jay with the chance of moving on in life than apologize and return to watching his friend swoon over that robin. Now all he was doing was fantasizing over his friend and dreaming of the bird saving him from his nightmares. That dream had been the same reoccurring one from all the nights before... but in this one, Mordecai actually came to save him. Rather than all the times before where he had to remain chained to the tree and allow the beast to slowly eat away at his sanity and strength; mocking him all the way until consciousness awakened him in the morning.

The mammal dropped out of his bed, walking over to lean against his open doorway. He looked across the hall, and through the other doorway into a dark room. Rigby walked across, and into the room that had been carelessly left open, not at all concerned, knowing it was empty. The mammal didn't even bother turning on the lights, there was never really anything in here that came to interest him. The raven was equally, if not more, messy as the raccoon, so maybe leaving the lights off and further hiding the disaster of a room would be _best._ The bed had been left a mess and hadn't been touched in a while from what he could tell.

Allan had been immediately taken to the hospital when the duo returned, the bird handling the whole thing like a man and not shedding a single tear along the way back home. Rigby had gone along with him with concern and sympathy; though, the raven had insisted that Rigby return back. He'd had to stay there over night, and Rigby felt sorry for the loneliness that he must still be experiencing in that place. The raccoon could share similar stories of horror when it came to the isolation felt in a hospital, the thoughts of his egg-induced coma sending chills down his spine. Though, to say that the raccoon wouldn't also be experiencing the same feelings of loneliness in his absence would be incorrect. Rigby would have to try and make nice with the other employees at the park, and while most of them probably knew his name, they always came up blank to the small mammal.

Rigby held a bottle of black hair dye in his hand, looking at it with emptiness. He didn't feel anything, he didn't _know_ what to feel. The raccoon didn't really see the need to question the avian's wanting to maintain his feathers' colors, but one thing that the raven never seemed to state was why he felt the need to use the stuff. It was just like putting blonde hair dye in blonde hair, wasn't it? Maybe there was just a specific tint he liked...

The mammal set the bottle back on the shelf and turned to walk of the room, and make his way down the hallway to join the others for breakfast. He could already feel that it was going to be a long day for him. The bird had assumed he'd hopefully be discharged by about noon, since the injury was truly "no big deal", and the raccoon prayed for just that to happen.

"It's too late for either you _or _him to be trying to fix things," Rigby muttered to himself, repeating the words Allan had ranted when they made their way back to the park after the fight with Mordecai, "It'll just be better for us all if you leave things as they are."

He didn't know what Allan had meant entirely, but there was a sense deep down in his gut that told him, whatever it had been, he was right. Even without that having been said, the raccoon was trying to do just that. However, these weighted emotions proved to have an incomprehensible grip over him. The numbness in his head began to return, and the mammal felt himself wanting to do nothing but sleep. So much change in his life only lead to so much more stress as well.

Rigby walked back into his room, and plopped onto his bed; head falling heavily on his pillow. His eyes began to close, only to be shot back open when a sharp, piercing 'clang' ran through his ears. The raccoon looked over the edge of his bed in alarm, finding a particularly large silver on the wooden floor. Rigby gave the thing a look of confusion, reaching down to pick it up for closer examination. Yet, upon holding it to his face, realization ran through him, and fear began to spread. His thoughts flashed back to the dream; him trapped in the forest, Mordecai coming to save him, the monstrous beast that inhabited his nightmare.

_"This key..."_

Things were getting back to being weird all of a sudden; the fine line between reality and fantasy beginning to fade once more. The raccoon couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement course through his saddened body. Throughout all this emotional mess of a week, there was undeniably a larger scheme progressing out of his, or anyone's view.

* * *

><p>Everything was a blur, the bird's thoughts mixing around in the familiar void of black once more. The muffled word 'fire' slipping through his conscious in a hushed tone, slowly growing louder and louder as the blue jay's awareness of it arose as well.<p>

"Fire." Mordecai seemingly mumbled to himself, repeating the words that echoed throughout his head in unison with the voice. His thoughts proceeded aim towards Rigby and the incident in the forest that had seemingly happened ages ago, or maybe only minutes. He found himself unable to quite place a finger on when exactly it had happened. _Did it even happen? _Of course, it had to have, right? The memories so clear yet blurred. Where was he exactly?

_"Fire." _The voice repeated once more, beginning to pick up hate with every repeat. The avian scrunched his eyebrows in irritation. Mordecai attempted to hone in on the annoyance, but found himself hopelessly lost. Mordecai could feel himself slowly beginning to cross the bridge from his dreams back to reality.

"_Fire..."_

_ "Wake up! Fire!"_

_ "Wake up-.. Your Fired!"_

_ "WAKE UP RIGHT NOW OR YOU'RE FIRED!"_

The blue jay gave a jolt, shooting up out of his bed and toppling onto the floor at the overheating metal feet of an enraged gumball machine.

"What is it, Benson?.." Mordecai asked drowsily, picking himself up off the floor to stand slightly above his boss. The other male stood silently with a scowl, biting his lip in frustration. Benson raised an arm, and pointed fiercely out the door to the bird's bedroom.

"Go check the phone," He spat, "PRONTO."

Benson made a hasty and angry retreat from the room, Mordecai following him down the hall to Pops' office where the black telephone lay awaiting on the large desk. Benson just stood at the doorway as the bird approached the phone with confusion. Mordecai picked it up, listening to the monotone note for a few seconds before Benson spoke.

"Check the voice-mail." The machine commanded, Mordecai practically feeling the words sliver out from between gritted teeth. The avian searched for the voice-mail button, and cautiously held his finger above it before hesitantly pressing it.

"You have- one, new message." The cheery woman spoke sweetly.

"HOW DARE YOU HARM MY EMPLOYEE!-" Mordecai pulled the phone away from his ear, the screaming voice on the phone almost matching Benson's in person, "-AND IF YOU THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THEN YOU JUST WAIT UNTIL YOU HAVE A LAWSUIT ON YOUR HANDS, BUDDY. DON'T EVEN TRY SHOWING UP TO MY PARK AGAIN OR YOU'LL FIND YOURSELF IN MORE TROUBLE THAN YOU COULD EVER DREAM OF. YOU HEAR ME?!"

"What'd you do?" Benson asked, trying to remain calm.

"I got into a fight." Mordecai stated plainly. There was no dodging it now; no room to lie. No _need_ to lie it seemed either. Benson took in a deep breath, but surprisingly just let it back out, no screaming accompanying it.

"Did this have anything to do with Rigby?" The gumball machine questioned. Mordecai took a pause, but answered just the same. Honestly.

"Yes." Benson just looked at him with an unchanged face. It had been obvious to him to begin with, clearly. Mordecai still kept his guard up for the anticipated screaming that would suddenly arise any moment now with the fury of a fiery dragon, but, nothing...

"Think before you act next time," Benson said, turning to exit the room, "We can't have any lawsuits on our hands while the park is in a critical state like this." The gumball machine stood there for a couple more seconds of silence, Mordecai staring at him. Why was he acting so... oddly? "Go get some breakfast. Quickly."

Mordecai nodded his head, following his boss downstairs; the bird heading to the kitchen while Benson exited through the front door to prep for the day's work.

Mordecai let out a sigh. It'd been forever since he'd gotten to eat a full breakfast it'd seem... well, a day or two at least. He couldn't keep track of how fast time was passing lately. If he understood the clock's pattern correctly, today was going to be a _summer _day, and by the look of the scorched thermometer hanging along the window outside, he must be right.

"_106 degrees?" _He estimated to himself, squinting his eyes to focus on the small black bars. Well, regardless of what it was, it was over 80, and that was enough to make things unbearable for the bird. Mordecai dreaded the cold more than he did the heat, but he'd clearly prefer a moderate temperature if given the choice.

Mordecai opened the cupboards above, searching through the contents to find a quick breakfast. He unfortunately found nothing to his liking, and just decided to quickly toast some break, grabbing the loaf from atop the counter, and retrieving the toaster. The blue jay plugged the machine into the wall, and quickly dropped his slices of bread in and pressing down the button.

"Hurry up Mordecai!" Benson yelled from the front door, the bird peaking his head out the kitchen to look at the irritated gumball machine.

"Sec!" He replied. Benson was becoming more and more of a hassle as the days passed it seemed. Course it was slightly understandable to the bird. He's the manager of a park that's looking to close. A park that he gave up the opportunity to play drums in Hair to the Throne to work for. It didn't mean Mordecai wanted his boss yelling anymore than he already did, the bird would just try to be more lenient about not flipping on him. Things were hard for Mordecai too, if it weren't clear by now already.

God, this had to be the longest time it's ever taken for the toast to finish. The bird tapped his fingers on the table, shifting around in the kitchen eagerly waiting the anticipated 'pop' of the toaster that he knew for sure would scare him senseless. The microwave was missing from beside the refrigerator. Mordecai hadn't heard anything about it from anyone else, which was probably for the best... but it was obvious that someone had noticed. He'd just have to pretend not to. _Microwave? What microwave? Pff._

Mordecai jumped, cursing under his breath as the toasted bread popped up from within the machine. He quickly grabbed the twin slices of toast, letting out another serious of curses as the hot bread singed his hand, and fell to the floor in one of the most mocking displays he'd ever seen. Mordecai felt despair wash over him, wanted to curl up on the floor for his failure.

"Are you fu-"

"MORDECAI!" Benson yelled again from the living room.

"Coming!" The blue jay answered, picking up his bread from the floor and looking at it with grief before dropping it into the trash. Maybe his next job should be to clean the kitchen floor.

* * *

><p>Mordecai joined the others outside while Benson seemed to be waiting for the others to arrive. The blue jay said good morning to Doug who he hadn't seen since the previous night.<p>

"Thanks for helping with the date." Mordecai chuckled.

"Ha, no problem at all!" Doug assured, adjusting his hat, "Well, he certainly looks familiar..." Doug added, Mordecai turning with a puzzled look.

To Mordecai's surprise, a raccoon approached the group. For a second, he even mistook the younger sibling as Rigby himself, first looking at mammal's face, but soon realizing it was much too high off the ground to be that shrimp Rigby's.

"Don?" The blue jay questioned, the male in question giving him a smile wave with a smile.

"Mordo!" Don laughed, stretching arms wide and approaching the bird, "Sugar?"

Mordecai gave the brother a hug; though none of it resolving his bafflement. What was Don doing here? Shouldn't he already be aware that Rigby no longer works here by now?

"What... are you doing here?"

"What do you mean? I heard you guys were having some troubles, so I wanted to come and help out obviously!" The mammal said, giving a light punch to the bird's shoulder.

"Do you know?" Mordecai asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, I heard about what happened..." Don murmured, his face growing a little more solemn. The taller male pulled the avian closer, speaking in a hushed tone. "I know you guys have your fights all the time, but it'd mean a lot to me if you two would make up. I've been talking to Rigby myself, but I'm sure you know how stubborn he is about stuff." Mordecai shook his head with a chuckle, "I think we both know this is definitely a friendship worth saving." Don finished, giving the bird a strong par on the back. It somehow reassured him that he could manage to fix this...

"Thanks, Don."

"No problem, Mordo."

All the workers gathered to take a seat on the steps as Benson pulled out his clipboard and began to look over the list of chores for the day.

"We need to be putting our full effort now from now on. I'm sure you're all aware by now that the financial state of the park isn't doing so well, so all we can hope to do is enhance it with the hopes of bringing back guests. If you weren't already aware, I'm fairly sure that the main cause for all of this is due to an amusement park that recently opened further up in town taking the park's population." There was a pause as everyone looked to each other in slight disbelief, except Mordecai of course...

"But anyways," Benson continued, "I have everyone's pairs right here. Skips and I will repair the lighting around the park. Muscle Man and Hi Five Ghost, you guys are in charge of taking care of the yard work. Make sure that grass and saplings are in tip-top shape."The duo gave a salute to Benson, a grin shared between the two.

"Do you know who else is in tip-top sha-"

"STOP!" Benson barked, scowling in irritation as the two ran off laughing, "Doug and Don, I hate to do this to you, but do you think you could handle the finances? The paperwork has been backed up for quite a while now."

"Sure thing, Benson! That's my specialty." Don replied happily.

_"Gee, put him with the guy that replaced his brother. Way to make it awkward, Benson." _Mordecai thought to himself. Not that he expected much to happen. Don was too nice and Doug was too shy. Which was sort of new for him...

"I thought you might say that... I'm sure you really wont need much help, but Doug will help you in any way he can, I assure you. Okay, and last is Thomas and Mordecai. You two need to repaint the interior of the snack bar. I walked past this morning and those walls are a mess."

"Why do we have to _paint_ them?" Mordecai asked. That seemed like going above and beyond what was necessary, so he certainly didn't want to do it.

"BECAUSE I SAID SO." The gumball machine screamed back, not to the avian's surprise. Benson was much easier to take when Rigby was there. "You can get your materials from the she, make sure you use the rollers for-"

"Rollers for the walls, and brushes for the corners. I know how to do this, Benson. I've done it before." The bird retorted with irritation at the gumball machine's lack of confidence in him.

"That's funny because I don't remember you _doing_ ANYTHING the entire time you've worked here." Mordecai let out a sigh. He didn't want to carry this any further, and with that, he got up without a work and made his way off to the shed, Thomas following behind.

* * *

><p>Thomas graciously insisted on carrying over the cans of paint from the shed, following along behind Mordecai who carried the much lighter load of brushes and rollers. The two stopped at the front of the structure, then entering to inspect the dirty walls within. They looked as if they could have been easily cleaned with a simple rag and soapy water, but painting seemed to Benson's way of upping the effort necessary. The gumball machine's kindness knew no end. Though, what might not have come off with soap and water so easily were the array of claw marks scattered across the wall.<p>

"What do you think it was?" Thomas asked, looking to the bird slightly fearful.

"Who knows." Mordecai groaned bluntly. So much weird stuff occurred at the park daily that he could honestly care less about a couple wild animal marks on the wall. The only thing that irritated him was that he had to clean up after them.

"I wonder how long this will take..." Thomas added.

"Well at least it's not graffiti this time..." Mordecai muttered to himself, beginning to lay down large sheets of scrap paper below the wall of his choosing, Thomas doing the same for his.

"Huh?"

"Long story." The bird assured the goat, taking a screwdriver he had brought and puncturing the lid to one of the paint cans. Not to say that Park Avenue couldn't end up making another incident.

"I was pretty shocked to come back today and find that Rigby had quit..." Thomas stated as he began to open his can of paint as well.

"Not like I saw it coming either." Mordecai responded, pouring some paint into a tin and preparing a roller in the sandy-colored mixture.

Thomas and Mordecai didn't really share the same degree of friendship that they would with any of the others. Not that it was to be looked at negatively, just more of as strangers. Mordecai had worked with the goat on tasks before, but that was back when Rigby was tagging along as well. Thomas wasn't truly one for speaking, and the fact that he'd so much as at least spoken three words to the bird was surprising. Thomas usually preferred to associate himself with Muscle Man and Hi Five Ghost for who-knows-why.

"So... What's new with Muscle Man and Fives? I haven't really seen them all too much lately."

"They've been slowly moving their stuff out of Muscle Man's trailer since Starla offered from the two of them to come live with her and her parents until they manage to find work."

"They're really preparing for this place to close, aren't they?" Mordecai asked with a bit of bitterness, solely at the thought of the park closing.

"Well, it's not like there's really a lot of things they have to move..." The goat said with a chuckle, "But yeah, I guess they're expecting the worse to come."

"Your internship is ending soon, isn't it? That's perfect timing for you." The bird asked with a weak laugh, the irony obviously only funny from Thomas' point of view. The goat would be finishing just on time while everyone else loses their job. He was the only true lucky one here.

"Yeah, but if this place _does_ close, I'm definitely going to miss this place and all the crazy stuff that happens."

"Haha, me too." The blue jay agreed, coming close to having his wall completely repainted.

"I'll miss _you_ too." Thomas added after an uncomfortable amount of seconds of silence. Mordecai was at a loss of what to say. Was the goat just being nice? They barely even spoke to each other enough to be having some sort of emotional goodbye between friends.

"Same here..." Was all he could come to saying, cursing himself for his unoriginality and lack of a better response. Mordecai looked out the corner of his eye to the male painting the wall across the room from him. Most noticeably, the goat was now lacking his shirt; most likely for the purpose of not getting paint on it, as well as not overheating in the hellish heat that overwhelmed the park today. Mordecai could see the goat's fluffy tail peaking up out of his plaid boxers, as well as his lean back that was always concealed facing towards him.

Mordecai tried to apply reasoning for the goat's actions and words, but honestly just found himself utterly at a loss. What was he playing at exactly?..

"What do you- er, plan to _do_ once you leave the park?" The blue jay asked, stepping back to get a better look at his work.

"I think it's about time I started figuring that out myself..." Thomas muttered.

"I'm sure whatever it is, it'll be better than this," Mordecai chuckled, "It's not like I really ever expected to end up working in a park for a lunatic like Benson."

"What did you _want_ to be?"

The bird frowned a bit. He'd never once been able to wholeheartedly answer this question without a doubt in his mind. Mordecai had never honestly had any true dream to pursue in his life other than the small pursuit of love he'd had for Margaret over the while. Though, now that he'd managed to achieve that dream, what was left? Surely enough it was time to start setting other goals as well...

"Honestly, I don't know..." The bird trailed off.

"I think I might want to get into something like engineering." The goat hesitated, becoming slightly embarrassed about about revealing something that even he had doubt in himself for, "To make something really neat and revolutionary."

"I think you'll make a great engineer." Mordecai urged, walking over to give the goat a strong pat on the back. Thomas just stood there practically frozen.

"I'm not sure my mom would want me going into a field like that..." Thomas mumbled, "Shes always wanted the typical doctor or lawyer for a son."

"She's not the one going through this internship," The bird stated, "She hasn't put up with Muscle Man's lame jokes and farts, or me and Rigby's crazy mistakes. And don't even get me started on Benson's yelling..."

"What do you mean?" Thomas asked laughing.

"You've put yourself through all this to achieve _your _dream, not your mom's."

"I guess..." Thomas responded with a red face, "You should come with me!" Thomas suddenly bust out, leaving Mordecai in astonishment.

"To... where?" The bird asked with confusion. Was this kid okay?..

"The coffee shop later. You and Rigby always go there, right? It must be really good."

"Sure, I guess." Mordecai sputtered. It wasn't truly as if he'd gone there for the coffee itself. Maybe the first or second time, but it was truly about ninety-nine percent due to Margaret. Of course this was obvious to just about everyone except for Thomas. Why, even the fight that started this all was due to it.

"G-great!" The goat fumbled, "You can leave me to finish up this last wall."

"Are you sure?.."

"Yeah! Don't worry about it!" Thomas said with a cheery smile. Mordecai just stared at him blankly for a while before gathering his stuff to leave. _If he insisted..._

* * *

><p>The bird let out a heavy sigh, plopping down onto his bed in both physical and mental stress from the day's work. It hadn't even been that much to begin with... One job as simple as painting a room already having him wanting to curl up and sleep for a good couple of months. Plus he didn't even do the full extent of the work! Only one wall was due to him. To top things off, it was only the beginning of the day too... and with how all out Benson seemed to be going to keep this park in top-notch shape, there was undoubtedly more to come.<p>

Mordecai took out the dreaded pocket watch from beneath his pillow, opening it to find his hunch had been correct. Within the clock now lay both a blue and brown segment alongside each other on the left half of the watch. From freeing both himself from the mirror as well as Rigby from the monster, he'd somehow managed to restore two pieces of the contraption. Though, he'd been through weirder before, so why was he even still questioning this?.. He could probably have drifted off then and there, but for one thing; he wouldn't know where to begin. Plus Thomas could be finishing any moment now.

_"What now?.." _He asked himself.

It was becoming apparently that he would not be required to reunite with Rigby to stop the countdown on his arm; of which he didn't dare look at... _Ugh_, he couldn't help himself. The bird decided he'd take a sneak-peak at the remaining day count, then go back to attempting to ignore the issue's existence.

He slowly moved his hand down his arm, stopping when he saw the dim, red '4' on his wing. The light given off from the countdown had seemingly grew more and more weary as the amount of remaining time decreased, which only added more unneeded anxiety to the whole situation. His stomach grumbled in hunger, and the memory of the breakfast that never was only saddened him further. He could always just get a bite to eat at the coffee shop of course.

Mordecai began to think back to the topic of Rigby. He was no longer allowed within the park now, so was there truly any way he'd be able to apologize? Of course, he _had_ run into the mammal in the streets just the night before. The bird gave a shiver at the cracking of Allan's arm and how he'd only cowardly ran off. The wounds Mordecai had received were minimal, majority already beginning to heal by now. Maybe it was all unnecessary. If Rigby wanted to be a crybaby, let him.

Wait. Why did he always just lay down and complain about this stuff to himself? Especially when Don had been encouraging him just an hour or so ago. Regardless of how many times he seemed to fail, he had no reason to doubt the possibilities of fixing this if he didn't even persist to begin with. If you truly want something, you wont back down. No matter how many countless and seemingly impossible obstacles are put in your way, and truth be told, Mordecai wanted Rigby back at the park more than anything right now.

Mordecai turned and found the hefty book from the library resting on his nightstand. He could almost feel the pain of the giant tome being thrown at him as he lay in his bed. The avian sat up, then picking up the book and laying it down beside him, and beginning to flip through its pages. There were sticky notes with scribbled handwriting and bookmark sticking out of just about every page. Mordecai checked all the book marked pages first, eventually coming to find the one with a diagram of a very familiar device.

The bird held up the watch, looking at it for himself before laying it down beside the image drawn in the book. Sure, a couple details were off here and there, mainly the designs on the quarters of the clock, but that aside, it was near a mirror image.

Huge bodies of text surrounded the one simple picture, packed into thin strands with microscopic letters that almost hurt to just look at. Mordecai could feel a headache already beginning to arise. A bright yellow sticky note caught the bird's attention, appearing to carry a brief synopsis on it.

_"Souls are infused during the subconscious state of the mind and spirit._

_ -Only upon reaching some form of enlightenment or understanding with the subject in question, as well as relieving them of their most troublesome issues. _*_Understanding especially._

_ -A person's place within the clock is predetermined; therefore, making it difficult to create a pre-made party of 'guardians'. Due to this, they are most often created by Father Time himself."_

Well, that wasn't much clearer... Mordecai flipped to another bookmarked page.

_"Parallels are the embodied temporal distortions that are created when time is set backwards. Though the past-self is most commonly eradicated when traveling back in time to prevent a paradox, there are occasional errors in such eradication, and the past-self is stripped of its identity and-"_

"Hey, I finished!" Mordecai could hear Thomas call as he began making is way quickly up the stairs. While he truly didn't care all that much, the bird decided to take no chances, and slid the book underneath his pillow. Thomas stuck his head in the door of the blue jay's room and looked at him somewhat bothered. "Er- what are you doing?"

"Just resting a bit." Mordecai replied, faking a yawn and stretching, "You sure finished fast. Benson's not going to yell at us late for crappy work, is he?"

"N-no." The goat responded, slightly hurt, "I was going to take a quick shower before we left, if you don't mind. I kinda smell and I got a little bit of paint on myself."

Mordecai looked at the other male who carried his shirt, his fur matted down here and there with the dried, lighter substance that traveled as low as his rather chiseled abs and fuzzy happy trail, up to his pecs and hard, light-pink nipples. _Gee, that was pretty damn gay to think about._

The bird gave himself a slight face-palm.

"Okay." Was Mordecai's only answer. Thomas stood there for a couple of seconds with a frown and turned out of the room without another word. The bird listened as the door across the hall closed and the shower was turned on. He closed his eyes and sat there, just honing in on the sound of the running water through the wall, and allowing his muscles to lessen their tension.

Mordecai pulled his book back out, rereading the bit on parallels, only confusing himself once more with the vague wording. Flipping the page, Mordecai came upon what seemed to be even more details on parallels, but with much more of the same bright sticky-notes.

_"Prime Parallel," _It read, _"A parallel that is believed to have no true original identity, and can therefore mirror the appearance and skills of any creature it chooses. While other people would probably refer to it as a shape-shifter, they would also refer to it as a myth. I guarantee you it is real. It is real. It is real. It is real. It is real. It is real. It is real. It is real. It is real. It is real. It is real. It is real.-" _

The writing seemed to continue forever, the sticky-notes stacked on top of each other with the same three words repeated over and over. Who was it that left these notes... and why? Ignoring that though, one word in the note seemed to bother him more than any other. _"Shape-shifter."_ He reread over dozens of times with wide eyes. Doug..._  
><em>

* * *

><p>Thomas just stood in front of where a mirror <em>used<em> to be bewildered. _Maybe... it broke? _The goat didn't really want to see himself like this right now anyways. He set his shirt on the counter next to the sink, and off went his shoes and socks. He undid his belt and let it hit the floor with a 'clang!'. The goat just looked away from the tent in his boxers with a burning face. If he ignored it, it'd go away.

Thomas started up the water, and felt for the temperature. He certainly didn't want a hot shower right now, but he didn't want an ice-cold one either. The cool liquid ran down his hand, reaching a pleasurable temperature. Thomas pulled off his boxers, his unwanted little problem springing up as excited as ever. The goat let out a sigh, how long was he going to live like this? He didn't have a problem with feeling like this, but he undoubtedly wished he had the nerve to do more about it.

The goat didn't typically use this shower to bathe since he'd just drive home at the end of each day, so his heart nearly froze when he realized whose shower this really was. He picked up the bottle of shampoo, opening it and holding it under his nose, the familiar scent proving himself to be right. Jeez, he was taking things a little too far.

Thomas began massaging the soapy liquid through his fur, the hair on his head, and even his little goatee. The cool water ran down his body, his member still standing tall and refusing to back down. He stood there awkwardly before giving into himself in defeat taking a seat in the tub. _Maybe if he made it quick..._The goat awkwardly slicked up his hand with a few drops of conditioner and hesitantly began to stroke himself.

Someday he'd get over this sudden flood of emotions that recklessly rammed into him just about the day he'd first arrived at the park. _He couldn't really tell who the bird liked, whether it be the raccoon or the robin. _

Thomas huffed as he grew closer and closer, eventually having to cover up his mouth with his free hand to prevent his moans from unintentionally slipping out.

"M-Mordecai..." He groaned quietly to himself as his began picking up the pace, clenching his eyes closed as the pleasure build up until he couldn't hold it in any longer, and let loose all over himself. Thomas let out gasps for breath, washing the seed out of his fur and somehow feeling waves of grief and regret tide through him. Thomas honestly didn't want to go to the coffee shop anymore...

_Either way, it didn't matter. It wouldn't be him._

* * *

><p>All I have for now. Do what you what you want. I'll be back with more sometime. I'd advise cleaning your eyes now. Forgive mistakes please, currently beta-less and too lazy to edit. Until next chapter o


	25. Descend

Mordecai listened to the phone dial as stood in Pops' office, waiting for someone to pick up on the other end. Due to his banishment from the amusement park, this seemed to be his only form of communication with Rigby for the time being.

What a genius idea it had seemed at the time, the bird having completely forgotten the option to just use the same number that had called the park in an attempt to get a hold of Rigby, or well, anyone for that matter.

He'd just ask whoever picked up to put Rigby on the line, or hopefully he might just be lucky enough for the raccoon to answer the phone himself. Would Rigby even want to talk to him at this point though? What he'd done last night was pretty drastic. They _both_ had done pretty drastic things that night.

Worst-case-scenario, the angry boss that had left the message would respond to the call, at which point Mordecai would leap to a butt-load of apologies before asking for the man's generosity of allowing him to speak to his friend.

"Hello?" Mordecai heard a voice greet on the other line, his heart nearly skipping a beat in surprise.

"Uh- yeah. Hi." the bluejay responded, "Can I ask to speak to er-, Rigby?"

A moment of awkward silence ensued as the bird stood leaned against Pops' desk, waiting for an answer.

"When are you going to give up on him?" the other voice asked.

All hopes Mordecai had at this point practically melted away, and he couldn't help but slowly become more and more pissed off at how persistent this raven was being. "I'll assume this is Allan."

"You assume correctly." he responded coyly.

Mordecai frowned. "I'm surprised you're still even working with one arm."

"Only takes one arm to make Rigby more happy than you even have." Allan chuckled.

Jeez, why'd he always have to go down that _one_ road when it came to conversation between the two of them? Needless to say he was undoubtedly there when Mordecai and the raccoon had kissed, no doubt having seen it. How hard is it to take a hint that Rigby clearly wasn't interested in the raven, rather, the blue jay. At least, that's what Mordecai thought and wished to continue thinking.

He let out a long sigh. "Seriously, I just want to talk to him. This has nothing to do with you an me, it's about me and him."

"Just accept that you two are separated now. Friendships come and go, and life continues." the raven stated before promptly hanging up.

Mordecai slammed the phone back down on the receiver, not even going to try and bother calling back. Fuck.

The bluejay grinned silently to himself, taking in a deep breath in an effort to calm himself down. If Allan wanted to continue this war, Mordecai would certainly play along too. The bird wasn't about to be upstaged by this _clone_.

Thomas exited the bathroom, steam pouring out from the small room and flooding into the hall. The goat was thankfully wearing his pants, yet still lacking a shirt; Thomas flaunting his body with whatever small fragment of pride he had in order to show himself off.

"Goddammit, put some clothes on already..." Mordecai muttered incoherently.

The pit within the bluejay's stomach returned as thoughts drifted back to Doug. There was no need to jump to any conclusions though, right? He could've easily misinterpreted that book, seeing as how difficult to read it appeared to be. The otter had seemed of good intentions throughout this entire time, so why doubt him now? The bird also saw no reason to truly trust the book, seeing as how oddly it had been bestowed upon him.

Mordecai waited for Thomas to head downstairs before slowly sneaking down the hallway to the doorway of the computer room, and peeking in.

Don and Doug were inaudibly chatting across the room, Don obviously appearing to be more of the work on the computer while the otter flipped hopelessly through a stack of papers with stagnant confusion. Mordecai let out a breath of relief.

"So that's Rigby's brother, huh?"

The bird nearly fell to the ground in shock, turning to find Thomas standing behind him, with a shirt on; thankfully.

"You scared the shit out of me!" Mordecai whispered angrily, growing embarrassed about how he must look after getting caught spying on the two mammals.

The goat shared in with some of the shame, Thomas' face lighting up. "Sorry!" he whispered back, both of them quietly tip-toeing out of earshot.

"You ready to go?" Mordecai asked.

Thomas just gave a flustered look, rubbing at the back of his neck. He couldn't help but feel that Mordecai was somehow aware of what he'd done in the shower by whatever means he may have.

"Y-yeah, I guess." he stammered, "We can take my car if you want."

"I never did ask how you got that fixed." Mordecai chuckled.

"I worked on it a lot myself." the goat mumbled, slowly taking step by step down the stairs.

"You did it yourself?!"

"Mhm," Thomas frowned, "It took some time, but I figured if I took it to a shop, my mom would find out."

"She doesn't know?" the bird laughed.

Thomas turned a gave him a wink, holding a finger to his lips in silence.

* * *

><p>Thomas must've apologized for his car being messy at least a hundred times on the short drive over to the coffee shop. Mordecai could only laugh and reassure him that it was no big deal. Quite honestly, he truly didn't see the car's interior as a mess in the slightest. Rest assured that if Mordecai owned a car, it'd be a hell of a lot more dirty than the goat's.<p>

A bell chimed as the duo entered, and Mordecai just took a stool at the regular table he and Rigby would sit, Thomas following behind. The goat decided to take the seat across from Mordecai. He found it a bit awkward to sit next to the bird for whatever reason.

"Hey guys." Eileen greeted, approaching the two.

"What's up?" Mordecai said back.

Thomas gave her a weak wave, not knowing the mole all that well.

"Nothing, really." she sighed.

"Work bumming you out?" the bluejay asked.

"Only because work is terrible without a friend." Eileen muttered.

"I can sympathize with that." Mordecai chuckled. "So then, Margaret not here again?"

"Yeah." Eileen frowned, clearly not pressing into the matter more than she needed.

Mordecai could take a hint, and disregarding all of the curiosity that now peaked within him, he decided to steer clear of the topic, for now at least. It really wouldn't be _that_ big a deal to ask about his _girlfriend_, would it?

"You should sit with us." the blue jay offered with a smile.

"Thanks," Eileen answered, giving a weak smile, "but I'll really get into trouble if I'm not working. My boss is upset enough over the fact that Margaret is missing so much work."

Well, maybe she actually _did_ want to talk about it. Else she wouldn't be bringing it up so much...

"Why has she been missing work?"

"She keeps calling in 'sick'."

"How many times has she missed work?" Mordecai laughed.

"Well, she did that in order to take her escapade to the library." the mole grumbled, "Though, I agreed to not say anything. I don't know what she's doing at this point." Eileen sighed.

"You haven't been getting extra work though, have you?" the bird asked doubtfully.

"I get to take more tables." the mole stated, "Which is good I guess. I could always use more tips."

"Right." Mordecai nodded. At least Margaret's absence wasn't affecting her to the point of extra labor. That would just make the bluejay feel extra bad for her. Implying that he did already, anyhow. Work was a bore without friends. Sure, Rigby was gone, but Mordecai still had Thomas and Doug, maybe even Muscle Man and High-Five Ghost to help lessen the stress.

Mordecai rubbed his chin for a second, sparking up an idea. Muscle Man and High-Five Ghost, huh?

"So, anyways, can I take your orders?"

"Oh- oh right." the bird snapped, "Uh, just the usual and a sandwich for me."

Eileen wrote a quick note to herself on her notepad before turning to Thomas.

The goat stared at her blankly for a few moments like a deer in headlights. He hadn't even taken the time to look over the menu, all too distracted during the time by Mordecai and Eileen's conversation.

Thomas just gave her a nod, and Eileen smiled brightly. "Okay, so a pair of coffees and two sandwiches?" she asked, both males nodding to her this time.

"Smooth." Mordecai chuckled.

Thomas' face lit up in embarrassment. "Ha, shut up." he responded playfully.

"So..." the bird started, "You go to the community college in town, right?"

"Uh- yeah."

"Do you know Margaret then? She goes there two." Mordecai questioned.

Thomas gave the name a bit of thought, coming upon no conclusion. "What does she look like?"

"Robin. About my height. Bright red feathers."

"A robin with bright red feathers?" Thomas chuckled, "Do you mean _cardinal_?"

"I know what I'm talking about!" Mordecai laughed, defending himself. "She's a robin."

"Yeah well, I think I know who you're talking about now." the goat assured. "So she works here, huh?"

"Mhm. Do you know her?"

"Not all that well..." Thomas frowned. "I might have had one or two classes with her, but I've never really spoken to her all that much."

"I didn't think you would've had that many classes with her," the bluejay explained, "Since you're into all that engineering and stuff."

"Well, just really science in general." the goat muttered, "I know I probably don't look like the type to be into that I guess." he laughed. "I'm really sort of a dork though."

"Pff." Mordecai scoffed. "You totally look like a dork, dude."

The pair laughed, and Eileen rejoined them with a silver tray with two mugs atop. She passed the coffee to the two males, who both thanked her.

"Come on Eileen," Mordecai groaned, pulling the stool beside him out. "Sit with us."

The mole let out a sigh of defeat. "Only while your sandwiches heat up though..."

"Fine, fine." the bird chuckled as the girl climbed up onto the stool beside him.

"But if you distract me and they end up burning, no complaining when you're eating ash." Eileen giggled.

"And if you get in trouble, you can just blame me." Mordecai added. "So, have you tried talking to Margaret at all?" the bird persisted.

"She's been really bad about answering my texts, and it's not like she'll answer my calls..." Eileen explained, drawing a small doodle on the corner of her notepad. "It's normal for her to be bad about responding to texts, but I feel like ignoring my calls is definitely something new."

"Last time I saw her was last night." Mordecai stated, "We had a date, and the-"

Thomas began to choke on his coffee across the table, nearly spitting it out.

"Er- you alright, Thomas?" Mordecai asked with concern.

The goat gave a couple coughs, face growing hotter than the coffee that had just singed his throat. "Yeah..."

"So- … uh, right. We had a date." the bluejay continued, "And the last time I saw her was when I dropped her off at her apartment."

"Oh yeah, she was telling me about that?" Eileen replied.

Mordecai perked up, slight hope shining in his eyes. "She told you about it? Was it good?"

"Eh, she just told me that you two were having a date before she actually went on it."

"Ah." Mordecai mustered in disappointment.

"Don't feel down!" Eileen cheered, giving the bird a pat on the back. "She seemed really excited."

"I just hope I did well." Mordecai laughed in response.

"We had planned to have a bit of a sleepover tonight before all of this 'whatever' started happening. I guess we'll just have to see if she ends up coming. I'm sure I can talk to her then."

"Has she not texted you about canceling?" Mordecai asked in suspicion.

"Nope." Eileen began, "So, there might be hope. I've been really worried."

"I'm right there with you." the bird agreed.

The three of them were silent for a while, Mordecai and Eileen having run this topic to its end and Thomas just generally quiet all around.

"Well, I'd best be getting back to work." the mole explained, scooting down off the stool and heading back towards the kitchen. "I'll be right back with your sandwiches guys."

"You're dating Margaret?" Thomas asked. Mordecai turned to look at the goat.

"Yeah, I'm still in shock." he laughed. "I'm really nervous about that date though, if you can't already tell..."

"Why? Did something bad happen?" the goat frowned.

"No, no. It was amazing." Mordecai reassured.

Thomas only frowned more, looking down at his reflection in the dark brown coffee. "What about Rigby?"

"What do you mean?" the bird chuckled awkwardly.

"Benson said you've been really persistent about trying to get him to come back to the park lately." Thomas confessed, "So I dunno- it just seems weird to be doing something like a date while all this is going on."

Almost exactly after saying it, the goat looked at Mordecai apologetically, clearly regretting having let the words come out like that.

"Haha, I understand what you mean." Mordecai sighed, "I actually saw him last night..."

"Hmm? What happened?"

Now it was Mordecai's turn to frown. He gave it a few moments of silence to think things over, but decided at this point that he didn't really care what anyone thought of it anymore. He'd been through too much shit about this whole situation as it is to get upset over someone's opinion.

"He kissed me." the bluejay muttered, looking down at his mug as well.

Mordecai sat there looking down, waiting for an answer that never came. He looked up, finding Thomas looking at him with wide eyes in disbelief.

The bird laughed weakly. "Is it really that bad?"

"N- no! It's not bad- uh, it's not good either- I mean," Thomas cut himself off to recollect, "It's just surprising."

"Yeah, I can understand how it must seem since I was just talking about a date with my girlfriend..." Mordecai reasoned.

"I just didn't see Rigby feeling that way for you." Thomas added. Liar.

"I know." the bird muttered, "I feel bad about all this that I'm doing with Margaret when Rigby has clearly been put through a lot. Hell, the whole reason he left to begin with was over a fight about Margaret."

"Ah." Thomas mumbled.

"I just feel terrible that this entire time," the bluejay continued, "he's had his emotions completely ignored by stupid, oblivious me."

Thomas clenched his teeth tightly.

"Uh! Enough about me." the bird laughed, "What about you? Do you have a girlfriend or- uh, boyfriend?" Mordecai added, trying to be a little more open minded.

Of course, that added last part just made Thomas feel all the more uneasy. The goat was tempted to ask Mordecai further on that kiss between him and Rigby. Did he like it?

"Uh, no." Thomas sighed.

"I envy you." Mordecai said. The goat just stared at him weirdly. How could he even begin to be envious of someone else for being alone? Was all the responsibility of his seemingly one-day long relationship becoming too much for the bird?

"Why the hell could you be jealous?" Thomas began, catching Mordecai a little off-guard. "I'm just too much of a coward to take any advances towards a relationship."

"What do you mean?"

Thomas felt the lump in his throat grow more painful, and his heart began to speed up, head growing light. God he was going to hate himself for ruining everything later. Now or never.

"I just-"

"Here's your food guys." Eileen cut in, placing the baskets of sandwiches on the table between the males.

They thanked her, but Thomas couldn't tell whether or not to thank the mole for that interruption, or hate her.

"You were saying?" Mordecai said."

Thomas remained quiet, calming himself down. "I forgot." the goat muttered, taking a bite out of his sandwich.

"Me too." the avian lied weakly with a laugh.

* * *

><p>The duo eventually said their farewells to Eileen and left. They had spent majority of remaining time talking about numerous science concepts that Thomas inquired, and that Mordecai could barely grasp. Shockingly, Thomas had actually paid for the two of them. And Mordecai, lacking in the financial department, couldn't put up much of an argument against him.<p>

Something along the lines that matter could not be created out of literally nothing, just as how matter can not be completely removed from the world either. By any natural means, that is.

The goat apparently just saw rules like this a challenge for his future, wanting to prove such impossibilities incorrect. Mordecai could only wish him luck. Crazier stuff had certainly taken place before.

Thomas dropped the bird off at the park's entrance before returning to the college for a few afternoon classes. The goat had been sure to thank the bird for spending a few hours of his afternoon with him, and Mordecai made sure to thank him for the meal. This probably would've been a terrible afternoon without his company anyhow.

* * *

><p>After a bit of searching, Mordecai managed to find Muscle Man and High-Five Ghost up to their usual brand of slacking that still somehow managed to allow them to accomplish their work.<p>

"Hey, guys!" Mordecai greeted.

"What do you want, lady?" Muscle Man chuckled.

"I was wondering if you could help me with something."

"We need more details than that."

"Well, could you help me-... break into the amusement park?" the avian asked in embarrassment.

"Whoa bro, trespassing?" Muscle Man asked. He looked surprised, but this did seem like an uncommon thing for Mordecai. He'd always been the best out of the worst.

"I just need to settle things with Rigby." Mordecai explained.

"Why break in then?"

"I got banned." the bluejay muttered.

"For doing what?!" High-Five Ghost questioned, surprised.

"I broke a guys arm..."

"Wow, Rigby leaves and you hit tier-zero, huh?" Muscle Man laughed.

Mordecai sighed. "Whatever, will you help me or not?"

Mitch gave it some thought, only leading him to ask more questions. "Why don't me and Fives just go in and talk to him for you?"

"I doubt he'd agree to that." the bluejay retorted.

"Then we'll drag him out of that amusement park and back here." Muscle Man explained.

"How is kidnapping any better than trespassing?!" Mordecai uttered in disbelief.

"Fine, we'll help." the green man agreed, "But you've got to help _us_ with something too."

Mordecai gave the man a questionable look. "What?"

"I planned on proposing to Starla soon, don't tell her, but do you have any idea how expensive diamond rings are?!"

"Yeah, Muscle Man, they tend to be pretty pricy with a park-worker's salary."

"I know, but that's when I got to thinking about those gems from _The Pit_." Muscle Man chuckled, "I could probably just get one of those babies put on a ring and it'd be just as good."

Mordecai froze, knowing all too well what the male was talking about. The Pit was created during the bird and Rigby's game of punchies that grew out of control, Rigby eventually stealing and learning the technique of the devastating 'Death Punchy', only to be countered by Mordecai's 'Death Block'.

The result of the two colliding creates a large explosion, which the two continuously set off which eventually formed a deep abyss that sunk far down into the earth's crust.

Obviously not being able to refill the hole back up, Benson simply put a large cover over it in order to prevent things from going in, as well as _getting out_.

Of course it was to everyone's curiosity to explore The Pit for all the treasures that possibly lay within after the lava cooled, resulting in the discovery of several precious gems, as well as the nest of unspeakable beasts. Luckily no one was harmed by any of the unseen monsters, but Benson immediately took all precautions to seal the thing up.

No one had managed to take any of the gems with them, having been to frightened by the screeching of beasts to even care about the stones more than their own lives.

"Benson said anyone who even tried to go down there would be fired." Mordecai muttered.

"Then you better get used to not having Rigby." Muscle Man snorted.

As much as he hated Muscle Man right now for pressuring him into this situation, he couldn't help it.

"Fine." Mordecai spat, earning a wide grin from the green male.

At this point in time, Mordecai was willing to risk his job, even his life if it meant a chance at getting Rigby back here. He just hoped that none of this would go to vain, and that even if he got caught, he'd at least make it back alive.

* * *

><p>Muscle Man pulled the large cover off the entrance of the massive hole, Mordecai having wanted to just get this over with as soon as possible. More because he somehow felt more comfortable being down there during the day, doubting that he'd be able to find his way out at night.<p>

The Pit was about the size of a swimming pool in circumference it seemed, although the depth was unknown...

The bird had filled a small backpack with supplies in preparation for his journey, mostly batteries for his flashlight and a baseball bat for anything that might sneak up on him. His stomach churned as the fear inside him grew greater and greater.

Muscle Man placed a large rock on top of the end of a rope that he cast down into the abyss, giving it a few tugs to make sure it was secure.

"Hope it's long enough." he chuckled, looking down into the crippling darkness. "If not, enjoy the fall and be sure to do a couple flips."

Mordecai glared at him, taking a shaky hold on the rope, and beginning to lower himself down into the hole. The bird watched as the light from the outside world grew smaller, and the sounds from above ground grew quieter.

He clenched the rope tightly for dear life, slowly dropping down further for what seemed like miles until the light from the chasm's entrance was nothing more than a spec.

Mordecai turned on his flashlight, pointing it down in search of a ground. The avian placed his feet on the cold, stone surface of the dark abyss' floor. The male began to walk around the dark pit's interior, using his flashlight to explore, eventually coming upon the entrance to a tunnel that extended far beyond his sight.

The bird could hear a faint wind somehow whistle through the stone chasm, and the faint skittering of insects. His muscles tensed up as he grew more and more aware that he was not alone down here. He just needed to find one of those gems, just one, then he could get the hell out of here.

Mordecai's steps echoed through the chasm as he grew closer to the opening of the tunnel. What laid beyond this point he had no idea, not remembering it having been here the last time he was down here.

How he wished that he didn't feel so cripplingly alone down here, yet he knew that the more people that knew about this, the more of a chance of Benson finding out. He'd just have to charge onwards and continue to tell himself that in the end, having Rigby would be worth it. The avian was running out of time anyhow, the '4' on his arm faintly glowing through the darkness.

Mordecai stopped dead in his tracks as he heard a sound, instantly roaming the cave with his flashlight, looking all around for anything. Yet, all he could find was the dark and damp stone surface of the trench's insides.

The wind blew again, and Mordecai took a deep breath, hoping to leave all his fears at this point behind. There was nothing to fear down here. The monsters; he'd never even seen them for himself. For all he knew, Benson could have been making them up to try and keep people out. Then again, they could also very well be real.

Mordecai tripped on a rock, cursing quietly, but also stopping to realize the hollow sound it made. He shakily aimed his light down at the ground beneath him, and could only scream silently to himself at the skeletal remains of a carcass with the bones licked clean.

He covered his mouth in grief, preventing himself from making a sound. Not that it would help him either way. Even if he were to scream, there was no doubt that nobody would come to save him. Mordecai was on his own down here.

As much as he wanted to turn back now, the bird continued further into the tunnel, pressing onward into the pit where screams cannot be heard.

* * *

><p>Uh, as always, forgive mistakes. I'm lazy an beta-less. Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry it's been a while, I had no idea that it'd already been a month or so. It honestly just felt like a week or two to me. I've been really caught up in writing Songbird. It's nowhere near as popular as this story, yet maybe that's what makes it more fun to write. I dunno. Until next update!<p>

**1/29/2013:** I've decided to do some major overhaul on this story, so it'll probably be a bit longer until a new chapter. Good news is that I'll be going back and rereading/rewriting sections of this story to enhance reader's experience!


	26. Brings Renewal

As clouds gathered in the sky, the crowds of patrons below dispersed in turn. The loud bickering of children ominously depleted as subtle growls of thunder crept from above. And while the incoming rain only made disappointment for all the park's guests, it meant a world of joy and some well-deserved rest for Rigby.

The raccoon laid lounged against his bedpost, eying the window he'd opened despite the weather. The sudden heat wave that had engulfed the city, perhaps a day ago, had left the house a boiling crock-pot of pestilent humidity and endless whining; most of which came from Rigby himself. But all that aside, it'd been a lazy and quiet day for the mammal. Though, it disdainfully proved to be less enjoyable when all Rigby simply wanted was exactly what he was straying away from. Even with this much needed breeze dancing in through the window, Rigby remained sticky with sweat and as ornery as a toddler.

How much longer would it be until the raccoon could get over his friend? Soon, he hoped. Yet he couldn't shake the feeling that he'd stay as regretful and anxious as he was now forever. You can't simply just shake off a friendship such as the one they shared as easily as Rigby tried to play off. But the raccoon's act was clearly slipping. Obvious example being that he'd allowed his secluded feelings to get the best of him, and wound up kissing Mordecai despite every barrier of self-control he'd put into place. Not to mention he'd reached the point of obsession where he found himself dreaming about the bird venturing into heroic expeditions to rescue him like a knight does a fair maiden.

And if it wasn't bad enough as it already was, things only got weirder when the gruesome wounds on Rigby's knuckles healed in a mere night, and an odd key found from under his pillow were brought into play. A key that Rigby's small hand now clutched tightly around. Where it came from and what it was meant for both remained unanswered questions. It was _exactly_ what he needed now; more confusion. Just add a dash of it along all the spoonfuls of fatigue from lack of a good night's sleep he'd been having and you'd find the recipe for a sarcastically peak-of-perfection life.

Rigby wasn't anywhere near being sure of where to begin with action. His evidently unbearable attraction to Mordecai clearly led him to considerations of forgiveness, but the raccoon also stood very firmly on the grounds that he sought no interest in returning to how things were before; even if that meant their friendship would never return by such means. But was that even still an option after Rigby invaded the bird's mouth with such a sudden sucker-punch of a kiss? Probably not...

"What'cha thinking about?" Allan nearly chimed from against the door frame; Rigby not even flinching at the bird's sudden words. Though, he couldn't tell if his lack of reaction was due to his exhaustion, or rather simply because he found himself far too apathetic. But despite all the reasoning, Rigby didn't mutter a word in response, leaving his eyes blankly locked on the window and a gray world beyond its glass.

Allan released a sigh and let down his grin at the sudden fit of silent treatment being smitten on him, and despite his conscious urges to ask what was wrong, the bird simply decided to cut the crap and skip to the point. "Boss wants to see you in his office." Allan advised, catching as Rigby's ears perked up.

"What about?" the raccoon grumbled.

"Not sure," Allan admitted, "But he looks like he's in a good mood, so I'm sure it can't be anything bad," the bird assured. The two hadn't even looked each other in the eyes this whole while, and yet Allan still found himself unable to intervene with Rigby's internal conflicts. The raccoon still didn't... _trust _him enough, and as much as Allan just wanted to hug the small mammal and promise that his worries would fade away, if the cast around his wing weren't enough of prevention, Rigby would be sure to make some himself. He was always so distant about problems, but Allan knew without question, this mood of his was about the blue jay.

Rigby gave a mild grunt and slipped off the bed, also being sure to hide the mysterious key beneath his sheets, and left the room without a sound. Not another word was spoken between the duo, leaving room for an awkward silence, the only sounds being the tiny patters of each male's feet against the warm hardwood, or the loud, muffled banters of overly-energetic employees enjoying themselves downstairs; a prime reason why the raccoon refused to leave his quiet room.

The raccoon lead, already knowing the way despite his job at the amusement parks short-term lifespan, and rarely having been called to the boss' office during said time as odd as it seemed. It'd be shocking for anyone who knew Rigby to discover he was possibly one of the best-behaved workers here. But anyone who knew Rigby would also notice the complete reconstruction of his personality that had taken place. The trouble making chatterbox of a raccoon was now more solemn and obedient than a monk. Rigby knocked on the door first, wisely waiting for his invitation inside.

"Come in!" a voice called from the other side. The raccoon stretched up, turning the knob on his tip-toes. And who should ever should he find other than his boss; Gene the vending machine and renown prank elitist of East Pines. The park was best known as the only standing rival against Mr. Maellard's park, and not a very good one at that; so when Gene gave up managing at East Pines, he took his talents to run a different kind of park, and here he was. Though, while you'd expect the man to be vengeful upon one of Benson's old employees, he actually seemed to take pride and joy in adopting workers from rival businesses. That being said, Gene was pretty ecstatic and insistent on hiring Rigby when he'd found the raccoon out of work.

"You asked to see me?" the raccoon stated, stepping in the office and taking a look around while trying to keep his cool despite the devastatingly strong odor of leather furniture and Gene's cologne. The vending machine sat comfortably behind his wooden desk which lay almost barren aside from sparse paperwork, a laptop, desk lamp and telephone. Clean as a button, Rigby felt the need to add. A large bookshelf was place in front the wall behind it all, filled with folders and books that Rigby doubted Gene had even read. Empty vases and misshapen, abstract sculptures were also displayed across the bookshelf in trying to give the room some sort of class or professionally stylish atmosphere; such was what the raccoon assumed. All that, and a modernized clock hanging on the wall to top it all off—a pretty empty and uninteresting room in shot.

"Make yourself comfortable," Gene gestured with a smile. Rigby took a seat in the lone leather armchair across the desk from the man, only hating the stench even more from up close. Allan merely stood idly by the door, not entirely sure what to do or where to go. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't the slightest bit interested in what this 'special request' for his friend was.

"So uh," Rigby frowned; fiddling his fingers and watching time pass on the clock in off-putting silence. "What do you need me to do?" the mammal finally asked, redirecting his attention to man in front of him.

A devilish grin slowly sprawled itself across Gene's face, tongue running between his bright rows of teeth with satisfaction that only both confused and horrified Rigby. "I just need you to deliver a _personal _letter to your old employer, Benson, back at the park for me," the vending machine chuckled mischievously. Gene clearly wasn't very good at letting grudges go, no matter how stupid or long-term they may prove to be, and planned to milk the story of his financial success over Maellard's park that had opposed him for so long as much as he could in triumph. Nothing more than a child inside a grown man's body- er, _grown vending machine's body, that is__._

"WAIT, WHAT?!" Allan was the first to burst out still in the doorway, leaving Rigby hanging on an empty line for words and without much of a response himself. "Sir," the bird laughed hysterically in disbelief, "You're joking, right?" he questioned, almost desperately. Rigby was more surprised by how personally Allan had reacted than the actual request in general. Don't get him wrong, the thought of returning back to the park and being seen as a supposed rogue or traitor frightened him, but he certainly wasn't going to react like Allan just had. And oddly, the smallest bud of excitement blossomed inside the raccoon as well. It was like an adventure of sorts; an adventure that also posed as a chance to see Mordecai.

"Hmm?" Gene raised a brow, "Of course not! It'll dig right into Benson's sides if one of his old employees delivers a letter of my victory," the machine explained with a chuckle. Allan's brow furrowed. The bird had nothing against his boss, and in fact, rather liked Gene as an employer. This That being said, Allan hardly ever thought he'd be opposing one of the man's stances on a situation. But hopefully anyone else could understand how absolutely ludicrous this task of his was; basically just sending Rigby to spit in the faces of those he'd just left, and reopening the wounds he'd left in his departure.

"Well, that's where the issue lies," the avian defended, approaching the desk. "It's one thing to put yourself on the line like that, but it's a completely different matter to force an employee of to take your place for nothing more than fulfilling one of your stupid grudges!" Allan barked, almost as shocked by his own words as the other two looked. And despite as shaky as he felt now, the bird remained solid on his opinion.

"I'm not _forcing_ him to do anything," Gene replied calmly, leaning back leisurely in his chair. "I'm just suggesting that it'd probably be in both your and his best interest to _listen _to your boss," the machine added slowly through tightly clenched teeth as he slowly riled up. "Wouldn't you agree, Allan?" he forced the bird's name out with a bitter smile.

Allan was getting closer and closer to crossing the line, and tension in the room was growing more unbearable than the smell of that ungodly cologne. Maybe Rigby would be okay... but then again, if the raccoon went through with this, he ran the risk of running into Mordecai again. And what would follow if the two made up? Back to isolation.

"Sir, normally I would never oppose you," Allan assured, "but I just don't think you're fully grasping the risk of it all if-"

"I'll do it." Rigby stated out of the blue, bringing his somehow forgotten self back into the conversation. Both men shared faces of shock towards his sudden motivation; however, Gene's face held a smile, and Allan's held a frown.

A roar of thunder boomed from outside, leaving small tremors ringing throughout the building and Gene's heart racing in surprise. Allan stood unaffected; far too pissed off at the moment to be frightened by whatever the hell was deciding to stir outside, and Rigby was far too... enveloped in thought to notice. It wasn't that big a deal to him the more he thought it out, honestly. At most, all he had to do was stop by the park, drop off Gene's letter, and book it out of there as fast as his legs could take him. There was nothing stating that he _had_ to speak to anyone, or even be seen. _That_ was all Gene was asking of him. Though, something was also telling him that he at least owed Mordecai a word or two during his visit. Rigby just wanted a glimpse at the bird, maybe a touch.

"Well then," Gene began after recomposing himself, "You can probably make it there before the rain if you head off now." Rigby took the envelope from the machine's outstretched hand, and looked it over; boring, plain, white envelope with not even so much as a stamp on it. 'Course, he wouldn't need one with all the manual labor he can leech off his workers. Rigby somehow didn't mind though...

Instead, the raccoon nodded his head, and headed out Gene's office to do just as he was told. Rigby could practically feel Allan walk out behind him without the slightest glance or sound. But Rigby waited; knowing that something would come out of his mouth soon, and chances were, he wouldn't care. The raccoon liked Allan, sure, but when it came to crap being spoken about the park or about Mordecai, Rigby only liked hearing it from his own mouth.

The duo reached the top of the staircase before Allan finally spoke up. "What are you doing?" the bird grimaced, "I thought you didn't want to step foot in that place ever again. And yet, you practically leaped at that opportunity to go back for nothing more than that old man's revenge."

"He's promised me he'd let the park stay open," Rigby muttered, knowing damn well that was hardly the reason. "I need to listen to him." The bird rolled his eyes.

"So, suddenly, you care about that place again?"

"What makes you think I ever stopped?" Rigby frowned, heading downstairs into the small crowd of mingling employees he couldn't give the slightest of cares about. All of them so unaware, all so blissfully unaware of what he was dealing with, and all pretty damn loud as well. The bird trailing behind him down the strairs would be sure to agree, despite how popular amongst them he was.

True Rigby had left his old job by his own hand, but that didn't make him some sort of vengeful exile with an undying rage towards the place from which he came. And despite how much this letter might make things worse for his reputation there, apologies remain owed. If offered his job back, would he take it? Without a doubt: no, but simply because he'd moved to a better point in life. Returning to a lower pay, living environment, and quality of work for nothing more than a struggling friendship seemed hardly logical to any extent.

Though, what Rigby didn't understand was how much Allan seemed to hate The Park. If anything, the mammal should be the one with his hate towards it. Yet, somehow Allan ended up being the one apparently in pursuit of The Park's demise. The bird did his best to keep it to himself; Rigby could tell, but still left him with enough to notice. Moreover, Rigby was sure that Allan mostly just hated Mordecai, and The Park by association. The raccoon didn't blame him though, since the blue jay had broken his arm without showing the slightest care to call for help; rather, leaving Rigby a crying mess and Allan a broken man on the sidewalk at night.

"Don't keep trying to fix these things before you hurt yourself even more," the bird stated coldly as the raccoon made his way outside the house, and on the cold brick paths of the amusement park. There were scattered pedestrians here and there, but all clearly making their way for the exit in response to the oncoming rain. Rigby looked up at the house behind him as he walked off. It wasn't anything like his old home at The Park. Such a dull cage painted so colorfully.

"Things will fix themselves," Rigby answered confidently, and catching the avian completely off-guard. All the times he'd tried fixing things himself, and had ended in disaster came to mind. But Rigby also realized that despite his failures, things had always done just that; fix themselves.

Allan gritted his teeth as Rigby turned a corner and out of sight. This entire time, the two them hadn't even so much as looked each other in the eyes while talking. It was... enraging, to be ignored like this all of a sudden, and Allan could already tell that Rigby was slipping out from between his fingers.

* * *

><p>Rigby took a deep breath, debating whether or not he should just accept his losses, ditch the letter in the mail slot, and get out while he still could. There wasn't any need to be afraid; nobody was going to attack him. No one could find reason to hate him for making a personal decision, could they? He should be able to make choices for his own life without getting crap for doing so.<p>

After minutes on minutes of convincing himself through an extraneous series of assurances, the raccoon finally worked up the nerve to knock on the door. Rigby just hoped to God that it was either Pops or Mordecai; the two he expected the least judgment from. And while the letter was _intended_ to be given by his hand to Benson, there were no clear and concise orders or rules that specified that he couldn't get someone else to do it for him. Plus it was late in the afternoon, and far past work time. Benson had probably already left work and headed back to his apartment by now.

The sound of footsteps approaching from the other side tied the raccoon's stomach in knots, and Rigby could hardly contain himself as the door opened. All his built up excitement and anticipation crashed straight into the ground as soon as metal limbs and a bulbous, glass head came into play. Oh, how lucky he was that Benson, of all people, answered the door. Yet, Benson seemed entirely more shocked by Rigby's sudden appearance than vice versa.

"Rigby..?" was all the gumball machine muttered in disbelief. Certainly not anyone he'd expected to be at the door, but Benson had certainly been expecting the mammal to give in and return for some time now.

"Yeah," Rigby answered bluntly, handing the letter out towards his ex-employer. Hopefully, it didn't say anything _too_ insulting; else Benson would have the raccoon's head hanging above his apartment's mantle and a new coon-tail hat to match. "I have a letter-" the mammal choked.

"Okay..." Benson responded with a raised brow, taking the envelope from Rigby's small hands. "Where's it from?"

"Pines Amusement Park." the raccoon answered, panicking inside to the highest degree. Maybe he should just leave now... Rigby had put far too much hope in having Mordecai answer the door, and now that such a thing had failed to occur, the raccoon didn't have any plans as to where this conversation should lead. He certainly wasn't going to stand here idly while Benson read the letter, not only because it would be a poor decision for his health, but also because it seemed fairly creepy.

"Well, I'm just going to go now-" the raccoon chickened out, turning slowly towards the porch steps, only to be stopped by a cold, metallic grip around his wrist. Shit, had Benson managed to read it already?! What the hell could it have possibly said?!

"I think," Benson paused, exhaling some stress, "you should come inside," the gumball machine insisted, leaving Rigby completely baffled and at a loss for words in exchange. Here it was. The moment where the life was choked away right before his very eyes at the unforgiving hands of a merciless gumball machine.

"Oh, no, I think it'd be best if I just left." Rigby chuckled uncomfortably, trying to loosen Benson's grip on his wrist and scamper away from that madman while his legs were still attached.

"I think you and Mordecai just need to sit down, and talk this whole thing out." Benson confessed. Wait, what? Was Benson actually... caring about what was going on between the two of them? Did it really make THAT big an impact on how Mordecai had been acting around here or something? Though, Rigby certainly didn't want to talk about anything with Mordecai with Benson as some sort of eavesdropping bystander. Yet...

"Okay." Rigby gave in, the gumball machine let go of his wrist in turn, and led him inside. Thankfully, the raccoon managed to leave the door open behind him, in case of the event where he needed to dart away. Jeez, he was really anxious and hoping for the worst of things...

"Mordecai!" Benson called up the stairs, scaring Pops with his shouting as the lolliman man slowly walked downstairs. "Oh, sorry, Pops," the gumball machine apologized.

"It's quite alright," Pops assured, "But Mordecai isn't upstairs; he hasn't even returned home."

Benson looked at the old man in disbelief, Rigby also sharing in with some of his bewilderment and looking to Pops for an answer. "Wait- what?"

"Well, I thought he went out to get lunch with Thomas. I saw them leave together." Pops explained. Wait, Mordecai went out to lunch with Thomas? Since when did the two of them even talk? What the hell had been going on during his absence here?! Was Mordecai already out replacing him with new friends, or was that also Doug's job apparently?

"No, because I saw Thomas drop him off earlier." Benson added, "Where the hell is that bird?" he growled.

"I see Rigbaby is back." Muscle Man teased while prancing in through the doorway in self-induced satisfaction at his lame excuse for a joke. "Lucky timing, I already got my favor out of Mordecai," the chubby man chuckled, completely unaware of what the hell he was getting himself into. Muscle Man noticed Hi Five Ghost frantically shaking his head back and forth in disapproval, and stopping dead in his tracks.

Benson's eyes shot open, turning to Muscle Man on the spot and locking eyes with him with an impenetrable glare with all the fury of a fire-breathing dragon. "Favor?" the gumball machine asked with huge, yet threatening smile, "What favor, Mitch?"

"Uh- I mean." he corrected, frantically looking around for some kind of make-shift excuse.

"Tell me where he is, or you're fired..." Benson muttered, keeping that same, spine-chilling smile stuck on his face the entire time. Muscle Man was sweating by now, and Rigby didn't blame him. The raccoon wasn't even a part of all this, but that didn't stop him from being scared for his life from Benson's sadistically threatening ways.

"He's- he's..." the green male stuttered, still searching for something; anything that could help him out of this. He knew if Benson were to find out about him sending Mordecai down in The Pit, that the bird would without a doubt be fired, even running the risk of being fired alongside the blue jay by association as well. But he couldn't create a sensible story in his mind at all. "He's in The Pit!" Muscle Man confessed loudly, somehow at the brink of tears.

Benson could feel his anger peak; a cold, tingling sensation running throughout his body. Here he was trying to help Mordecai with his friendship issues, and the avian was out breaking one of his most sacred of rules. "HOW LONG HAS HE BEEN DOWN THERE?!" Benson screamed, standing up from his chair.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Muscle Man wailed back, "MAYBE TWENTY MINUTES TOPS!"

"YOU'RE GOING DOWN THERE, AND GETTING HIM!" the gumball machine commanded, scaring the man shitless at this point. Everyone at the park, even Rigby, were aware of the terrifying beasts that nested down that hole, and no one in their right mind would dare set foot in that pit. Which brought to question in Rigby's head, why exactly was it that Mordecai was down there to begin with? And what was this favor- and don't forget this "thing" with Thomas.

"NO WAY MAN!" Muscle Man cried out, full-on bawling with tears pouring violently out his eyes by now.

"THEN WHO THE HELL IS GOING TO GO GET THAT MORON OUT OF THERE BEFORE HE GETS HIMSELF KILLED?!" Benson roared.

"I will." Rigby worked up the nerve, everyone looking at him as if he'd asked to be shot in the head. It was crazy; the raccoon was well aware, but it had just seemed like such the perfect situation for everything he'd been hoping for. A secluded place where he could just spill everything out to Mordecai... that's what he wanted, right? And The Pit was just that place, so it seemed. A heightened sense of danger might even help to spice up the tension. Oh God, was he seriously thinking that?

"Are you crazy, Rigby?!" Benson spat, "You're going to get yourself killed!" Funny how Benson suddenly became concerned for the mammal's wellbeing, but couldn't give less of a shit when it came to Muscle Man's. Well, I mean, Rigby wasn't the one going around and playing horrible pranks accompanied by terrible jokes all day, every day.

"Not like you can fire me for it or anything." Rigby laughed weakly.

"Is it JUST Mordecai?" the gumball machine turned back to Muscle Man who was wiping his tears and snot into his greasy shirt while sniffling loudly. Hi Five Ghost was doing the best he could to comfort and console his friend, but Benson can always make things pretty damn unbelievably scary; something he's always been best out.

"Well, he's the only one I asked," Muscle Man explained, "But I did see that little otter heading off towards it too. Maybe he's already going down to get him out."

"Doug's down there too..?" Benson groaned loudly; that was two employees completely ignoring his rules for apparently nothing more than another one of Muscle Man's stupid schemes.

That... didn't sound too good to Rigby. Sure, Doug was apparently some sort of changed man now, but hopefully everyone could understand where the raccoon was coming from when he expressed how suspicious of the otter he was; considering he oh, I dunno, tried taking over his identity and life as well. It was beginning to sound like Rigby needed to get down there and to Mordecai even faster than before now that Doug had been brought into play. Because while The Pit was dangerous enough as it was alone, something about Mordecai and that shape-shifter alone down there made the raccoon want to barf. It looks like it was Rigby's turn to repay his friend for saving _him._

* * *

><p>Been quite awhile. I doubt anyone is still around, but I'm really sorry to have kept you all still around waiting. Maybe the summer will provide more time for me to write.<p> 


	27. Behind You

There was nothing more that mordecai Wanted than the chance tO see his fRiend rigby agaIn, perhaps even goinG as far as to get down on his knees and Beg for forgiveness as desperatelY as he needed to asSure his friend's return.


	28. In the Darkness

The park employees circled around The Pit like mourners at a burial, watching Rigby slowly descend down the rope into his own, shadowy grave. The clouds, almost as if in response, grew grimly dark, and began to weep a gentle rain upon the city. A faint breeze brushed through the park's grassy fields, blowing raindrops against everyone's faces and drafting a faint aroma of wet lumber and soggy leaves. All was quiet; each raindrop pattering against puddles ringing our as clear as bells.

"Why would you make him go down there?" Benson asked sternly, not even bothering to look up from the hole at the still choked up and sniffling Muscle Man.

"I wanted him to get me something from Starla," Mitch answered, brushing stale tears from the corners of his eyes in grief. "One of those blue gem-thingies we found there before you sealed it up."

"With good reason!" the gumball machine barked, "Why would he even listen to you?!" Benson knew his employees far too well to even expect for a second that Mordecai would provide Muscle Man with even the smallest of favors empty-handed.

"He wanted a favor," the green man muttered, "Help with seeing Rigby again." was his explanation, the excuse sounding less and less justifiable every second after the words left his mouth. Had Muscle Man known that the stakes would end up this far, perhaps he would've spared a second thought about taking advantage of the blue jay's state of desperation when it came to Rigby nowadays.

Benson let out a frustrated breath, trying to tame the anger boiling up inside him right now. As much as he didn't want to accept it, the situation was completely out of his control now, and while the gumball machine was powerless, he would never impose threat on the lives of his other employers to try and gain a hand on the situation. Most likely because if a search party was formed and sent down there, he'd have even more blood on his hands as result of Mordecai's ignorant impulsiveness; let alone lawsuits.

So Benson could only be grateful that Rigby had come along and been more than willing to risk his life just to search for the bird. But it wasn't as if Benson wasn't concerned about Rigby's life enough to stop him from going in after Mordecai; it was that he was wise enough to know he _couldn't_.

"What's down there?" Pops asked the group with a shaky voice.

"It's a system of tunnels and caverns that run underground beneath the park, created long before even a single building in this city was built." Skips answered dryly.

"To what?" Fives was the first to ask, floating beside his worked-up companion. Benson inhaled slowly, holding his breath and almost mouthing the words that next left Skips' mouth as if they were his own. The yeti had shared the story with Benson after the hole was initially made, and the information was more than enough a reason to seal that thing up. Skips had insisted a cover of enchanted Rowan planks would be enough to keep the monsters inside, but clearly even something as much as enchanted lumber wasn't enough to keep his idiotic and disobedient workers from getting in.

"To hell." the yeti grumbled. Everyone was left speechless, with shared looks of confusion and shock in their expressions, almost as if they felt they'd misheard Skips' answer. They could only hope they had. "It obviously wasn't really ever supposed to be found; the underworld completely separate from our own, with understandable circumstances." he added, brushing off the look Hi-Five Ghost shot him, "But when Mordecai and Rigby created that chasm by going overboard on the whole 'death punchies' thing, they accidentally made a direct passage down in the middle of one of those tunnels."

"That's why no one is allowed down there to begin with," Benson growled, shooting a glare to Muscle Man who practically writhed under the gumball machine's leer. "Somewhere at the end of all those tunnels, there's a gate to the underworld where only cursed souls and Death himself are allowed to enter." he explained, "If something else down there doesn't find them first, I'm sure Death will be more than happy to rip the soul straight from that moronic bird's chest."

While members of the park staff had run favors for Death on more than one occasion; Mordecai and Rigby even eventually becoming the go-to babysitters for the reaper's deceptive son, Benson hadn't a doubt in his mind that Death would lunge gladly at the opportunity to harvest a few extra souls, regardless of his history with them.

* * *

><p>Mordecai progressed slowly through the dark tunnels, not really sure how long he'd been down here or how much distance he'd managed to walk. Every inch of this tunnel looked exactly the same; barren and dark, but the worst part about it all was the unbearable silence. One of his own feathers could fall to the ground and the impact would startle him like an air-horn. Maybe that was the reason his hands were tightly clenched around the baseball bat he'd gotten out after changing the flashlight's cheap batteries and running out of tolerance for his paranoia. Better safe than sorry.<p>

'3:05:29:16' glowed in bright red, ticking away on Mordecai's wing as he held his flashlight out to lead the way. Unfortunately it probably only made him more susceptible to being attacked than prove useful in the end, didn't it?

Eventually, after what felt like hundreds of thousands of weary steps, Mordecai came to the tunnel's end, leading up to a larger and spacious cave-like dome with an enormous lake dead center. Large, blue gems protruded from the cave's ceiling, glowing dimly, but bright enough for Mordecai to make out his surroundings without the need for his crappy flashlight. The room's sandy floor depressed steeply down towards the idle body of water, leaving hardly any room for walking between the lake itself and the cave's stone walls. The bird would either have to figure out a way to sail across the water, or just be super, extra careful in taking his time walking around the lake. It looked as if even a single wrong step would send him falling into the dark waters where who knows what would attack him.

Mordecai jumped as a voice suddenly hissed at him, "Dude! What are you doing down here?!" Doug whispered harshly.

The bird backed up, eyes dead set on Doug as he backed away slowly. He still wasn't entirely sure on who or what exactly the otter was, so he couldn't think of a single reason to let his guards down. "What's the Prime Parallel?" the bird asked instead, causing Doug's eyes to widen in surprise.

"Where did you get Oz's book?!" the otter yelled back, knowing exactly what the bird was getting at with those few words alone.

"Answer me first!" Mordecai yelled back.

"You still didn't answer the question that I asked first!" the otter retorted stubbornly, but he let out a sigh of defeat, "You don't need to worry- I'm not even the Prime Parallel anymore."

"So you _were_ one before?" Mordecai asked skeptically.

Doug let out a sigh, pressing his back against the stone wall and sliding down until he sat upon his rear, looking almost shamefully down at the ground and away from Mordecai. "There can only be one Prime Parallel at a time." the otter explained, "I'm not sure if you knew that much already. Point being that I surrendered my powers and no longer hold that title."

"Then who does?"

"I don't know." Doug confessed, "Honestly."

Mordecai paused to think, "You still haven't even told me what it is."

"A regular parallel is a duplicate version of someone from an alternate time line, existing in the same time line as the "original"; an example of this is that Allan guy working at the amusement park with Rigby." the otter muttered, earning a shocked look from Mordecai. How did he know about Allan? "I can sense other nearby parallels," Doug explained, "I haven't been spying on you or anything."

"Okay then... I understand that much." Mordecai assured.

"Prime Parallels are just... somehow created with no identity whatsoever; brought into this world with no form or identity and left to take that of another person." Doug muttered, "I'm not originally an otter and my name isn't Doug but-... I don't know what I originally am." the otter looked at his friend with glassy eyes, "Please don't be afraid of me." he croaked.

"How do I know you're not a threat?" Mordecai whispered softly.

"I can't promise you I'm not a threat..." Doug pandered, "But I could've killed you and everyone else at the park without breaking a sweat by now if I wanted." the otter chuckled, soon regretting his words by the unnerved look Mordecai gave him in response. Point being that he had no reason to attack Mordecai if he hadn't one already. The avian seemed to understand his meaning too, turning his back to the otter and letting out a sigh.

"Alright, are you gonna help me look for a gem then?" Mordecai asked.

Doug smiled in response, brushing some tears from his eyes. "I'd be glad to."

Frigid, wet sand stuck between Mordecai's toes and on the pads of Doug's feet as the duo walked along the lake's narrow shore. The cave's ghostly breeze left the lake restless, sending small waves to cascade against the grainy shore and occasionally chill one of the two's feet to the bone. The large body of water itself was opaque in darkness; a sea of absolute anguish and shadows whose inhabitants, if any, remained thankfully concealed and unknown beneath the pitch-black surface. The Pit was completely terrifying to say the least, but somehow in this moment, it was also beautiful in its own androgynous way.

"What do you think is in there?" Doug was the first to ask quietly, trailing cautiously behind Mordecai as they both walked the lake's perimeter.

Mordecai swallowed his fear and all the horrific thoughts that sprung to mind on the topic of what exactly inhabited these caverns, but managed an awkward and terrified grin. "I have no idea," the bird chuckled timidly, "Nor do I want one."

* * *

><p>After traversing around the lake, Mordecai shone the flashlight across another burrowed archway in the stone-cavern walls where strands of grayed webbing hung down from the ceiling like nooses, gently drifting in the ominous breeze running through the tunnel and swaying like specters. Wherever the draft was coming from, the two could tell they were creeping closer to it as the push against their bodies grew stronger with every step. Mordecai's stomach churned, and all he could think about now was turning back around and getting the hell out while he still had the option. There was no way anything <em>but<em> a spider could have made this mess, and in addition, there was no way anything less than a _huge_ spider could have created these in particular.

"Maybe we should go back..." Mordecai laughed half-heatedly, "Before we end up like that skeleton from before."

"They're old webs," Doug assured, "And that was an old skeleton. There's no guarantee anything still lives here just from a couple cobwebs-... and corpses." the otter frowned, trying to soften the mood, if at all possible. There was no point in turning around now that they had made it so far. If they were going to die down here, they might as well get a gem or two to show for it.

Doug's words must've worked, even in the slightest, seeing as how the avian took the first step deeper into the tunnel, carefully stepping over clumps of fallen cobwebs and the bones of fallen men. All the bird truly needed to do at the moment was keep his eyes locked forward and reveal their surroundings with the flashlight, holding back yelps from snapping a bone under his foot or from strands of spiderweb floating into his face.

But soon, exactly what the bird had been looking for miraculously came to view, several large and vibrantly blue gems shining brightly at the end of the tunnel. Mordecai reached out towards one of the massive stones, gripping tightly onto its cold surface to try and remove it from the tunnel wall, yet, to no avail. A loud hiss followed, sending hot breath harshly blowing against the bird and nearly giving him a heart attack. That's when he realized the gems were almost... looking at him, following his every move as a large set of jaws slowly scooted closer to wrap around the avian and swallow him whole.

"Back up!" the otter screamed, pulling Mordecai back just in time as the fangs snapped closed and the duo ran hastily out of the tunnel and back towards the lake. A massive spider emerged from the tunnel with its large gem eyes locked on the intruder, planning the best way to strike down the terrified blue jay. Mordecai could only slowly scoot back in horror having left his bat and only weapon behind, soon finding the frigid waves of the lake brushing against his tail feathers, and something strange suddenly came over him. It was a voice, almost, a force overwhelming and calling out to him as he made contact with the water. And whatever it was, it wanted to protect him.

Mordecai quickly reached into the lake, feeling something familiar beneath the opaque surface of the chilling water, only to pull out a frozen blade of black ice from the lake's depths in the nick of time to lunge towards the arachnid's head. But it wasn't about to be taken down that easily, moving out of the way just as quickly to follow up with a counter attack and slamming down one of its enormous and jagged legs down towards Mordecai. Thankfully yet again the force overwhelmed the bird, sending his body rolling quickly out of the way before the spider's lance-like leg came straight down on his head.

"Use the water!" Doug screamed out to his friend, drawing the spider's attention regretfully to himself. The arachnid sent jets of adhesive web at the defenseless otter, and entangled him against the wall where he could only helplessly squirm. Regardless of his helplessness though, the otter had managed to give Mordecai enough time to venture out into the lake by creating large chunks of ice floating the in the black waters. The spider followed the avian without hesitation, its long legs delving into the water with more than enough length to walk along the lake's sandy floor. The ice platforms shifted, wavering back and forth as the waves grew violently restless, but Mordecai's balance was left somehow intact. Ice was now somehow indescribably just an extension of his own body, as if it had become part of his living being all of a sudden.

Mordecai dodged yet another lunge from the spider, diving out towards the water only to have it freeze beneath his tumble like a safety net. But what he hadn't seen coming were several zombie-like, disembodied arms that quickly burst from beneath the surface to reach out and grab at him. While he may have panicked for even the slightest of seconds, his concentration was soon returned, swiftly avoiding each arm and slicing the limbs in two as a follow up attack with his frozen sword. Whether or not this were just another one of his indefinable dreams remained unanswerable for now.

Although, all these arms gave Mordecai an idea as he avoided yet another attack from the spider, perfecting his focus around the spider's legs and freezing the water until the beast was immobilized with legs stuck in ice. The bird took this moment of weakness as an opening for opportunity, rushing forward to slam the blade down against the arachnid's head and curse out as the sword bounced off of the spider's armor-like exoskeleton. It was like smashing his baseball bat against a lamp post; the full force of his blow ringing throughout his body and sending him shakily backwards. The ice beneath them cracked as the spider pulled a leg up from the water, slamming it back down a final time to shatter the frozen water and set its other legs free.

Doug could only remain glued to the wall, webbing restricting to his limbs and preventing him from transforming into anything to assist his friend. Each advance from the spider towards Mordecai caused the otter's heart to skip a beat as he clenched his eyes shut, praying every time that when he opened them back up he wouldn't find his friend hanging off the arachnid's leg. Doug need not worry however, Mordecai moved easily out of the way with his heightened senses that had altered from coming in contact with the blade gripped tightly in his wing. Each attack was clear as day before they were even made, and while he had no difficulty in evading anything, Mordecai wasn't entirely sure how long he could keep this up for, let alone how long these powers would last.

The spider halted momentarily, it's large bejeweled eyes growing to a blinding light before a shot of neurotoxins was sent splattering against one of the ice platforms, slowly but surely melting it until the poisons sat atop the water like oil. Mordecai found himself testing his skills, drawing walls of ice up out of the water to protect himself from jabs the spider made at him, only to have them torn down by more acidic shots from the arachnid's mouth.

"The living shall not interfere with the affairs of the underworld." the spider hissed in a horrendous voice of screeches, almost chuckling as it sent another leg slamming straight through one of the bird's ice walls as Mordecai narrowly rolled to safety, or merely as safe as he could possibly in this situation. The beast became merciless, almost toying with bird and slamming its legs against the ice platform and sending Mordecai falling flat on his face. His blade slipped out of his hands, sliding across the slippery, frosty surface and nearly falling back into the depths. Mordecai quickly reached in after it, letting out a scream of pain as his felt his hand press down into a pool of the arachnid's acid setting on top of the water. The poison burned away at his feathers, practically disintegrating in seconds as it bit deeper into Mordecai's flesh. And even though when the blue jay pulled his hand up out of the water, despite his bloodied arm, he thankfully held his blade in hand.

The monster drew in close and quick, ready to finally finish things off; the sight of Mordecai burning his arm its toxins clearly enough of a show to satisfy its sadistic amusement. Unfortunately for it, Mordecai, too, was ready to finish this fight. And it was by its own poison that the spider would find itself dying. The bird's acid-soaked blade slammed swiftly against the beast's underbelly as it attempted to strike him down, the poison beginning to burn away at the monster's armor and stab further into its body. A loud, shrill, scream of pain was let out from the beast as Mordecai ran under it, tearing the wound even further until guts poured down into the water. The spider fell down into the lake with an enormous splash, sending a tidal wave slamming against the walls of the cave.

Mordecai pulled himself onto the shore, gasping for air after having been taking under by the rampant tides. His feathers were drenched with the repugnant water that only made his burnt wing sting that much more hellishly. The arachnid's legs seized up, clenching around its abdomen and wound as its insides leaked out into the water, only to have countless more of the rotting arms spring up from the water and pull it down under into the dark depths.

The bird waited until the bubbles in the lake ceased before dreaming it was safe enough to let his guard down. Mordecai wearily picked himself up in exhaustion, carrying his blade over to Doug before slicing carefully away at the spider web before uttering a single word, picking up his things, and continuing on his journey. Perhaps it was the shock of it all that left him speechless, or the fact that he hadn't the slightest of clues how he'd managed to pull it off. Perhaps even the feeling that he'd already died and somehow just still not realized.

But with the spider slain and out of the way, Mordecai and Doug were left free to travel even further into the nest, peeling back thick layers of old, decayed webbing and frantically wiping their hands against the stone walls in regret and disgust. It'd take no less than weeks for that stuff, added to all the spider guts, to wash out of feathers; let alone fur. But it'd take at least a thousand showers to wash off the awful filth Mordecai felt around him simply from being down in such a godless place for so long.

The pair stepped in to take a look at the largest chamber of The Pit so far; giant pillars of mossy earth stretching as high as skyscrapers to connect cave floor and ceiling. Bridges of stringy web spread out, connecting the columns with luminous, azure, egg-filled bulbs hanging off of them like fruit on a vine. Webs covered everything, like plastic-wrap on elderly-home furniture; just as abundant with corpses and an aroma of death to match. Beaten and battered skeletons hung down from spider-silk like puppets, and eggs large like monuments lay adamant in the ground. Both Mordecai and Doug paused to take in the view, silent out of awe and fear.

"That back there- was amazing..." Doug croaked in disbelief, still huffing to catch a breath through his busted mouth and absorb what all had just happened. He'd felt so useless in the fight, but luckily for them, Mordecai wound up being a much better swordsman than either of the two could have possibly imagined. Where he learned those moves left a question unanswered as well. Mordecai simply brushed the compliment off with slightly heated cheeks of embarrassment. The bird hadn't really fought _that_ well, had he? The whole thing almost felt as unreal and uncontrollable as a dream. Mordecai briefly lost himself when the sword reached his hands, and from that point on his body seemed to just... move on its own; thankfully.

"It really was." another voice joined in; the only one voice with the capability of stopping Mordecai's heart on a dime. Even the otter found himself frozen in disbelief, turning with Mordecai to face a bruised raccoon whose dirtied fur and scuffed body gave proof that Rigby had been on an adventure throughout the hellish maze of his own. Confused looks were exchanged between the three, and the idea of this whole situation having been nothing more than a dream became less farfetched.

But it wasn't a dream. Everything occurring right now was blissfully real, and Mordecai wasn't entirely sure how to act in this unexpected situation. The bird's face was in a struggle between crying out for joy or breaking down into a fit of intense tears and violent sobs. It had felt like an eternity since he'd last laid eyes on Rigby's face; a single day reaching that of millennia.

"R-Rigby?" the blue jay choked, ending the needless silence. The raccoon couldn't help but give a dorky grin to his friend, almost in tears himself as Mordecai slowly struggled to limp over to the mammal, fall to his knees in exhaustion, and wrap his arms around Rigby without another word. The avian's body felt numb and weak, both from the frigid chill of the cave, and his already anxiously fearful mindset in shock from taking a massive spider head on in a brawl. Shivers ran down Mordecai's spine as his fingers dug deep in the mammal's warm fur and blistering tears budded at the edge of his eyes, threatening to pour off his face like rivers as he lost control of his emotions.

However, now silence somehow spoke everything; something even Doug could recognize as he stood to the side, speechless and feeling a warmth bud in his chest from the display alone. Time passed, tears fell, and hearts beat. A million words came to Mordecai's mind when it came time to finally say something, but what was best? What words could possibly return everything back to normal despite all that had happened.

"Please come back," Mordecai whimpered softly into Rigby's ear, clutching the mammal tighter; never wanting to part from the raccoon again. Rigby swallowed hard in grief, thinking about the promises he'd made to himself earlier that day, before even setting foot in the park alone. But seeing his friend broken down like this, a mess and in tears, could undoubtedly shatter the strongest of wills.

"Mordecai..." Rigby started hesitantly, trying to think of the best and easiest way to explain his situation, "I really want to, but-"

"I'm so sorry." Mordecai grieved with tears streaming down his face as the threat of his friend leaving him once again became more imminent. Not again. Never again. "Please, I'll give anything for you to stay." he assured, and he meant it.

The blue jay waited for an answer, fearing the worst in silence as time slowly crept by. There even came a point where his heart skipped a beat when Rigby let out a questionable, short grunt of discomfort and pressed closer into Mordecai's embrace with a small whimper of pain, clearly wordless himself. But what he heard next was not an answer, or even words at all; rather, the faint drops of hot blood against the cave's stone floor. Mordecai could feel the warm crimson seeping into his feathers, Rigby's grip on him tightening as the bird pulled back to look into the raccoon's wide and terrified eyes.

A sharp and extensive spider leg stuck straight through the raccoon's abdomen, skewering Rigby like a shish-kebab. The mammal struggled to do so much as scream out in pain without gagging on the irony tang of his own blood as it poured out from the corners of his mouth; following his violent fit of coughs. Mordecai could see the sharp tip of the arachnid's impaler barely peeking out from Rigby's naval, the scene horrifying enough to cause the avian to purge on the spot. But all that came up from Mordecai's throat was a loud scream of terror that lasted far past the point of his throat burning or stinging like hornets, only ending when his voice cracked and breath failed him. Mordecai pulled his friend out of the beast's grasp, watching it defensively skitter off to a distance with all eight eyes carefully locked on the trio as it planned another attack. The bird could only clench his friend desperately as slowly, but surely, life faded from the raccoon's eyes.

Almost as if in response, sharp screeches followed Mordecai's own scream, ringing throughout the cave at a deafening decibel. Strands of spiderweb began to violently shake and sway as a wave of more bejeweled spiders ranging in size from cat to cow flowed out of the nest like an avalanche with their fangs bared and neurotoxins at the ready. Mordecai and Doug stood frozen with mouths agape in horror before breaking their trance to run for dear life, leaving the bird's bat and backpack behind. Mordecai carried Rigby tightly to his chest with a hand clenched over the leaking wound in the raccoon's stomach as it stained his feathers. But even at the fastest pace their legs could take them, both Doug and Mordecai could practically feel the horde of spiders' hot breath running down the back of their necks; seconds away from being nothing more than a mutilated pile of flesh and carnage.

"We can't outrun them!" Mordecai huffed loudly over the arachnids' loud battle cry, beginning to already picture in his head how the spiderlings' dagger-like legs would feel tearing through his flesh as easily as warm butter. And that was only if their jagged fangs didn't reach him first; snapping his bones between their jaws like toothpicks before injecting his bloodstream with painfully acidic poison to liquify his insides so they could drink the puree of melted organs straight from his body.

"I might be able to turn into something fast enough to outrun them," Doug yelled back, currently down running on all four of his short legs, trying desperately to keep up, "But I'd need time!"

"We don't have time!" Mordecai screamed back, stumbling over a bone or two with loud curses but luckily catching himself before he fell easy game to the swarm. But what the bird said was true; they both knew that. Meaning the only way they'd make it out of here in one piece was finding a diversion to buy the otter enough time to work his magic.

Step after countless step, gasping and huffing for air to sate their frenzied hearts, Mordecai and Doug stumbled quickly out of the tunnel and into the light-filled dome where the dark lake lie. Not that it helped them at all; probably only making things worse since the bird and otter could only stumble through the unstable sand around the lake while the spiders could simply continue their route on the stone walls. There was also the option of going through the lake, but Mordecai wasn't much of a swimmer, and while Doug was indeed an otter, he wasn't going to test his chances by even setting a foot in those monster-infested waters. But an idea sprung to the bird's mind, giving them a third option that didn't seem so grim; only, Mordecai wasn't one-hundred percent sure he could pull it off. But he focused. Closed his eyes and focused on honing the same powers he mysteriously drew earlier. Rigby's warmth seemed to leave his arms, replaced by a growing chill, and the rampant cries and frantic steps faded until the world grew mute.

Mordecai could still feel himself running despite this all, Doug right along side him. Even as they reached the lakes shore, they kept running. The gentle waves of the water grew still and frigid, freezing a path for Doug and Mordecai to run along across the lake. The bird did not slip or falter even in the slightest, his legs moved on his own and all he had to do was support this foreign feeling of power coursing through his body. The ice was loyal and at his side, spurring up out of the water to spear through any leftover wretch-hands that sprung up at them along their way. Mordecai didn't even have to think about them, let alone give any kind of command. Time itself somehow froze in his mind, but he could also in some way feel that his time was running out; that he couldn't keep up this state forever. The chill of ice was soon replaced with the same chill of damp and sticky sand they had felt coming in, and their shortcut across the water hand thankfully bought them some much-needed time.

"Keep going!" Doug yelled out the bird, steadying himself to a stop for what Mordecai could only assume would be his faster and helpful transformation. It was only then that the bird realized that his silence was gone, and thus too went his powers. Forgotten shrieks of the arachnids rang out loud and clear once more, returning fear to the avian's head in place of his serenity. But there was something else along all the noise; something he hadn't heard before he went into his state of guided silence. A steady rhythm of hollow clops against cold stone grew louder and clearer as Doug caught up in a dark equine form, his black hair almost making him invisible in the shadowy tunnel. For a second Mordecai had to question if this really were the otter, or simply some miserably placed horse that they'd somehow managed to pass without notice. But he could see his friend behind the animal's eyes; Doug was there. "Get on!" Doug yelled out, coming to a stop in front of the blue jay. Welp, that explained that.

Mordecai struggled to heave himself up on Doug's back, as if it weren't difficult enough due to his inexperience with horses, the fact that he was lugging around his friend's unconscious body only made it that more challenging. But with a little help from the otter's- rather, horses' end, Mordecai managed to climb atop Doug and hold on for dear life as they resumed their blazing speed. But would it be enough remained questionable in the avian's head; peering back into the darkness behind them and seeing the faintly glowing, blue eyes of the spiders trailing rapidly behind them. They may be in the lead for now, but when it came time to climb back up the rope, it wasn't as if Doug could transform into and elevator to carry them up and out of here... right?

The beasts chased hungrily after the trio in a frenzy for meat and vengeance over their fallen mother. Legs clicked loudly against the stone surfaces of the tunnel as they skittered along at alarming speed, drawing nearer and nearer to the group and locking their bright, glowing eyes on the wounded raccoon; easy prey. Their blood-lust only grew over time, making them move faster before their targets escaped from grasp. But Doug's hooves soon splashed in the shallow puddles coating the tunnel floor from the outside rainstorm as they grew closer to the chasm entrance where they had entered, and their escape from the monsters became more gladly evident.

"Don't tell them that I'm down here," Doug screamed out to the bird, "Just get out and seal the hole!"

"What the hell are you going to do?!" Mordecai blurted out in exasperation, hanging onto the silence between them for an answer; yet again, he got not a single word in response. Doug couldn't possibly be considering fighting all these things, could he? Unless the otter could transform into some enormous, fire-breathing dragon, he hardly stood the slightest of chances against this giant swarm all by himself.

"Just don't..." Doug muttered almost incoherently with the cries of hungry spiderlings blaring in echoes throughout the hollow tunnel. He slammed his hooves into the ground, coming to a quick and abrupt stop that sent Mordecai rolling across the cold ground with Rigby's lifeless frame clenched tightly in his wings. "Get out!" Doug screamed, turning back towards the darkness behinds them and the faint, blue, glowing specs of spider eyes drawing larger and nearer.

Mordecai picked himself up off the ground, trying his best to brush off the pain from such a rough landing, "I'm not leaving you down here alone with them!" Mordecai spat back. Doug's large horse muzzle pulled back into an otter's, and long equine legs grew short and stumpy as hooves split into digits. The otter looked the bird dead in the eyes, now in his 'original' form, both a worried fear and longing set in his stare.

"I'll be fine," he assured, "Honestly." Doug chuckled questioning Mordecai's lack of belief in him, "I've fought much worse that a couple of bugs; but you need to go find Oz as soon as you get out of here." the otter explained, starting another, _different_, transformation. The tips of his fur faded to gray, eventually lighting up to a snowy white.

"The guy who wrote that book?!" the bird sputtered in confusion.

"Yeah, I'll show you what he looks like." Doug added, pressure on him growing as the horde drew closer, but knowing a single mistake in transforming could cost them both, "He's just like you. He can help you fix everything."

Mordecai's eyes widened as long rabbit ears sprung up from Doug's scalp and his otter tail drew back, shrinking into a small puff-ball of fluffy fur. Long legs and lanky arms grew in length to give him a tall, stalky frame. The bird knew this rabbit, the image of the same rodent who snapped his arm like a twig from Rigby's dream burned deep, far back in his memories and it was, without a doubt, the same rabbit.

_"I let you win in this dream, because you will never stop me outside of here." _he heard the words ring in his mind, spoken in both a somehow solemn and threatening demeanor.

"Look for Oz." Doug now spoke in the rabbit's voice, pointing a long, white finger to his own transformed face. Mordecai nodded, finding it hard to protest as the arachnids began swarming out of the tunnel entrance, and ran quickly to the rope and his only chance of escape. The rabbit now let out a low growl, the puddles around his feet beginning to freeze into thin sheets of ice and spreading out across the entire chasm floor until it was like an ice-rink. Meanwhile, Mordecai tried his hardest to speedily pull both Rigby and himself up the rope while simultaneously keeping a stable grip on the raccoon; the last thing that Rigby needed right now was a twenty-foot plummet to his death.

Doug clenched his fists, closing his eyes, and taking a deep breath as his senses adjusted to fit his new form. The air around him grew frigid, and his cold breath fogged out of his mouth in puffs of frosty air. Raindrops now froze upon impact, joining their brethren in the thick sheet of ice glossed over The Pit's floor. Oz and Mordecai shared these same powers, although Oz's were by far much more trained and effective. Only by finding the rabbit and training these new skills alongside a master would the bird become prepared to deal with the situation that was about to unfold. But that was in the future; what needed to be dealt with now was the present.

"Let's see if I've still got the hang of this." the rabbit chuckled to himself, concentrating thoroughly on the entire area surrounding him, feeling Mordecai's inching progress up the rope behind him, each individual spider's movement across the rocky wall; even every raindrop's journey down from the sky. He could feel and see everything, giving him total control and making for an easy fight. Doug grinned, stretching this energy outwards, and flash freezing the falling rain before it ever reached his vicinity; raindrops falling down like small, frozen bullets as rain changed to hail, knocking countless spiders off the wall and putting their endeavor to chase the bird to and end.

Those who didn't die from the fall were pounced on by the rabbit and promptly beaten down and crushed by a barrage of brutal, exoskeleton-shattering punches and kicks until not a single crystalline structure was left unfractured and the blue glow in their eyes faded. They could all only helplessly accept their fate with their legs furiously shaking and wobbling as they desperately struggled to stand on the ice; even the sharp tips of their legs proving incapable of even leaving a scratch in the ice's surface. The ice could only be as strong as its controller, and thankfully for Doug, Oz was the master of masters at this, and through his transformation, so became he.

Throughout all this, Mordecai didn't dare look back down, and only tried his best to focus on the light up above, and out of the darkness and the dangers within. The bird progressed inch by inch up the rope, the muscles in his wings growing weaker and numb with each heave up the length, struggling to carry both Rigby and his own weight. Mordecai was trembling, but desperate in forcing his weary way up to safety before his strength and determination fell flat; just as he would if he let go. The tendons in his wing were practically seizing with a fiery burn, but somehow, he persevered through it all. Hail flew past him, every chunk somehow narrowly avoiding him as if by some sort of controlling, magical force. Mordecai didn't question it too much, seeing as how if anything, it was one of the more normal things to occur here at the park and today alone. The avian trusted in Doug's strength and capability now, but also knew it would only take one mistake; one moment of weakness before the whole mass of spiders pounced and skewered him.

Spider screeches soon faded, and familiar screams rang out through Mordecai's head, the whole park crew standing around The Pit with raincoats and umbrellas with hands reached out towards the bird. The avian lifted a debilitated, bloody wing out to Skips who heaved the duo up onto the wet and muddy ground.

"Go call an ambulance!" Benson screamed frantically to Muscle Man and Hi-Five Ghost upon seeing the gushing mess of vibrant red from Rigby's stomach, "And bring some bandages!" the gumball machine added rushing to Rigby's side and placing cold metallic hands over the hot, bloody wound and applying light pressure; trying to hold everything in until help arrived. "There's not anyone else down there, right?!" Benson turned to Mordecai. Doug briefly crossed the bird's dazed mind, but he shook his head in response.

The gumball machine nodded to Skips, whose abnormal strength began sliding a new cover over the Pit's Entrance; a massive, rectangular slab of stone with sigils and mysterious markings sprawled out across it, all of which lit up briefly in a red glow only after the hole had been fully covered, and unknown incantations were muttered from the yeti's mouth.

Mordecai felt himself begin to doze off in exhaustion, nothing but the sound of heavy rain splashing against the ground and distant wails of ambulance sirens.

* * *

><p>Chapter 27 replaced.<p> 


End file.
